


Jonathan Byers : Mother Of One

by SheriffsLop



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: A LOT of Angst, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aro/Ace, Aromantic Jonathan Byers, Asexual Jonathan Byers, BAMF Joyce Byers, Baby Showers, Breakups, C-Section, Cesarean Section, Comments Are Strongly Encouraged !!, Eggnant! Jonathan Byers, Eggpreg, Eggs?, Family Fluff, Fluff, Get Your Porn Elsewhere, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Guns, Hurt Jonathan Byers, Hurt Joyce Byers, I'm Not Gonna Beat Around The Bush, Jonathan Byers Doing His Best, Jonathan Byers Hates Himself, Jonathan Byers Is A Great Mom, Jonathan Byers-centric, Jonathan Gives Zero Fucks, Jonathan cries a lot, Laboratories, Male Pregnancy, Momathan Byers, Mpreg, Multi, No Smut, Past Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Post Season 4, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Cravings, Pregnant! Jonathan Byers, Protective Jonathan Byers, Sad Jonathan Byers, Supportive Grandma! Joyce Byers, Supportive Uncle! Will Byers, Teen Pregnancy, The Momathan Byers AU, The Party Is Very Amused, Traumatized Jonathan Byers, Unplanned Pregnancy, Will is so supportive, Zoë Byers !!, absolute sin, deep subject matter, gunfight, mention of rape, non-romantic, raw meat, sin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:28:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22257973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheriffsLop/pseuds/SheriffsLop
Summary: ❇ || Comments and Reviews are always seen and greatly appreciated !! 💖🎀❇ || The One Where Jonathan Byers Gets Knocked Up By A Government Experiment
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Original Female Character(s), Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. *•.¸📷 cσmє αs чσu αrє 📷¸.•*

August Twenty - First, Nineteen Eighty Six

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

Hawkins Memorial Medical Center

📷

It had been two month since he was around Catastrophe. It had been a whole two months since he had been . . . it had been two months since the unwanted touch, since the unwanted contact with Catastrophe. It surely hadn't felt close to two months. He could remember it like happened yesterday.

She had died, protecting him, but protecting him could never make up for what she had done to him. He would never forgive her for that. He had never felt more alone in his life. He would normally claim that he's used to being alone, but this was a depressing loneliness.

" Jonathan Byers ? " 

Jonathan looked up from the hospital pamphlet he was reading before following the nurse into an examination room. She handed him a hospital gown.

" Doctor Gibson will be with you in a minute, Mister Byers, " the nurse replied. " For now, just change into this gown and wait. We have some magazines in the rack for your pleasure. "

Jonathan stripped out of his clothes before sliding into the paper hospital gown and looking in the mirror. He always hated hospital gowns, not because of the way he looked in them, but his butt was freezing. He wished they would put the thermostat a little higher, but he knew heating bills were practically a fortune. He lifted himself onto the examination table backing all the way against it, in hopes he could warm up his exposed backside.

Jonathan picked up the newspaper that rested in the rack, before realizing that it was three weeks old. He already knew everything that was written down in the paper, but that didn't stop him from reading.

The cover story read as one of the local businesses filing for bankruptcy. It was rather odd. He was one of the only ones in Hawkins that truly knew of all the weird things that had happened. 

The newspaper seemed to come from a normal town, where nothing ever happened, and that wasn't the truth of Hawkins. Nothing had happened for a month, and that's the closest Hawkins has ever been to normal.

He put the newspaper back into the rack as Doctor Gibson ( a rather young woman, who was probably a fresh graduate from medical school ) came into the room.

" Hi there, Mister Byers, " she held out her hand to initiate a handshake. " I'm Doctor Gibson. "

Jonathan gave her a handshake before adjusting his posture.

" So, you've come in for severe abdominal pain, nausea, and your family is concerned with a visible weight loss ? " she asked.

" I haven't been able to keep more than water and maybe a few crackers down the past few days, " Jonathan answered. " My mom thinks it might be a tumor. "

" It definitely sounds like one, " Doctor Gibson replied. " We could run a few blood tests to see if it's anything to be worried about, and we can run an ultrasound to check out what's been going on in there; if that sounds like a good plan for you ? "

Jonathan couldn't help but to sigh. That was simply more money to be added up, but he wasn't going to just sit back and writhe in his pain. At least he ended up working minimum wage for the local newspaper.

They decided to give him a second chance, as long as that meant he and Nancy weren't the ones working together. While he disliked their bad blood with Nancy, he completely understood. Maybe it was for the best, now he could fully focus on his work as a photographer, and Nancy went her own way and ventured into working a car - hop job at a local drive - in.

Both of them were content with this turn, though Nancy enjoyed her office jobs better. Her main complaint was that she was subjected to teenagers making out in their car ( Along with Steve and his new girlfriend being two frequent face suckers of the Drive In ) and little to no heating in the winter or cooling in the summer.

Jonathan was so lucky to get his job back, even if that meant not working with his girlfriend. His complaint was the money issue, minimum wage was enough to survive, but there was no way he was moving out on his own with the salary he made. It was going to be near impossible to pay for hospital bills, but he knew he had to find a way to manage.

" Yeah, we might as well, " he said. " I don't really have the money for any huge surgeries, or cancer treatment, so I'd rather catch something before it's too late. "

" Smart man, " she replied. " I'll get a nurse in here, in order to draw your blood, and hopefully have a sonagrapher come in to locate the source of your pain. "

" Okay, " he replied.

Doctor Gibson left the room and he leaned back on the examination table. He observed the charts in the room. There were diagrams of the muscular system, as well as the nervous and skeletal system, then a picture of the Hawkins landscape. It looked like it was taken from one of the surrounding mountains. It would take forever to get to a mountain, but he was sure the sight was breathtaking, and it would be an amazing picture to have inside the house. Maybe, on one of his days off, he could take Nancy up to the mountains and they could watch the town from afar. It seemed like such a peaceful date.

Peace was one of the things he needed right now. 

A nurse came into the room with what seemed to be a needle and a few viles with medical labels on them.

" Hello there, you're Jonathan Byers, right ? " she greeted.

Jonathan nodded with another verbal ' yes ' reply. 

She placed the things onto the counter before getting an alcohol wipe from the cabinet. She tore open the package, before asking for his arm and disinfecting his elbow.

" So, we're going to draw a little bit of blood from you, " she said. " Just so we can check and make sure there isn't anything wrong, like cancer and such. "

Jonathan nodded and kept his arm up, in order for her to tie a tourniquet around his arm.

" You have super dark veins, " the nurse commented. " This should be a walk in the park, huh ? "

Jonathan let off a chuckle.

" Better easy than awful. "

The nurse went to the counter before assembling the vile inside of a container that had a needle at the end.

" One time I had to draw blood from this rather elderly lady, " the nurse began. " Her veins would roll, and they would disappear. We missed her veins four times, before we had to move onto her legs. "

" That would be awful, " he replied. " And painful, if I were to guess ? "

The nurse came back over with a few cotton balls, and the odd needle contraption. She matched the needle to his vein that was a navy blue against his elbow.

" That poor lady was in tears, but she was very sweet and understanding, " the nurse responded. " I've always hated drawing blood from kids, especially little kids. They're always so nervous, and I never know what to say to them. My kids aren't kids anymore; hell, they're barely even home. "

" I've heard that kids are getting into that show ' He - Man ', " Jonathan said. " My brother's in high school, so I wouldn't know what little kids would like either. "

" That's better than my knowledge, " the nurse claimed. " The last time I ever watched cartoons, it was always Sunday morning cartoons like ' The Flintstones ' and ' Mister Magoo '. "

" I used to watch ' Scooby - Doo ' and ' Looney Tunes ' with my brother when we were kids, " Jonathan commented. " Now he would rather play ' Dungeons and Dragons ' with his friends, or go out to a movie. "

The nurse laughed and shook her head as she swapped the first vile out with the second one.

" Kids grow up too fast, " she said. " There would be nothing more that I want than to have a little kid around the house again. "

" I mean, I miss my brother being so young, but little kids are cute at a distance. I don't mind a kid being around for an hour or two, but I'm normally over it after that, " he said. " I don't think I could handle another kid running around the house again. "

" That's why I can't wait to be a grandma, " the nurse teased. " Then I don't have to put up with them when they're acting up. "

" Good idea, " he replied.

" That's about it, Mister Byers, " the nurse said.

She extracted the needle from his elbow before stopping blood flow with a cotton ball. She looked under the examination table for a bandage that she placed on the needle opening.

" We'll get back to you as soon as possible, " she said.

The nurse exited the room, leaving Jonathan with nothing else to focus his mind on other than the ambience of what was going on outside the door.

If he did have cancer, how was he going to tell his family and Nancy ?

Well, the question truly was whether or not he even needed to, but it was never a bad thing to think ahead. 

If he had cancer, he would just break the news while they were all at dinner together. There was no way it could truly be that bad. It's just like having a broken leg. He might be out of commission for awhile, but he'll be back to normal in no time. He just hoped that they would see it that way too.

His mom was known to worry, and he was sure it might make Nancy and Will emotional - correction, it might make Nancy emotional.

He wasn't too sure how Will would take it. He has matured over the past year, but that didn't mean he wasn't emotional anymore. Will just struggled with showing it sometimes.

That was the furthest ahead he could plan, the rest all depends on how they were going to react.

Now, he needed to figure out how he was going to pay for treatment.

He might have to pick up a second job. He could work for the paper in the morning, and Steve's girlfriend's family had a diner that was open until eleven, so maybe he could ask if they need any line cooks or waiters to work the night shift. That could definitely help cover a little bit of the costs.

Maybe Nancy could help him, she had never had a problem with helping him before. He just hated asking her for money, because he could very well make the money on his own, but he was sure he wouldn't be able to pay all of it off by himself.

That was a good plan, albeit a rather embarrassing one. An embarrassing plan would work better than no plan at all.

He was yanked from this deep thought once the door came open with Doctor Gibson and a man wheeling in a ultrasound machine.

" Are you doing okay, Mister Byers ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

" I'm okay for now, " he replied. " Are you going to do the ultrasound ? "

" Only if you're ready. "

" I'm more than ready, " he replied.

" Okay, so if you can strip your torso down and lean back, we can get started. "

Jonathan pulled his arms from the hospital gown and slid it down to his waist, before pressing his back against the table. He shut his eyes as they leaned the table into a bed.

The sonographer used a stool to wheel in next to the bed.

" So, whers is most of your pain located ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

Jonathan pressed around his bellybutton and close to his v - line.

" Mainly in this area. "

Doctor Gibson nodded and the sonographer began to apply a cold gel lubricant to his stomach.

Jonathan shuttered at the sensation. His butt was definitely warm, but his stomach was sure not. 

" Cold, isn't it ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

" Yeah. "

The sonagrapher began to roll the doppler along Jonathan's stomach, as the image was upon the screen. Jonathan watched as the same black and grey fuzz stayed on the screen while the sonographer ran the doppler along his stomach. 

" Nothing seems to be . . . hold on, stop. "

Jonathan's eyebrows furrowed at her concern. They must've found something.

The sonographer rolled the Doppler along Jonathan's stomach again, before they came across a whitish mass. There was something grey wiggling inside of it, but that coukd have also been the ultrasound.

" Uhm, Mister Byers, this is a rather personal question, but have you been inserting eggs in - inside your . . . rectum ? "

Jonathan felt rather offended by the question, but he knew she was doing only what has been asked of her.

" No, I haven't, " he replied. " Why ? "

" There's something . . . " she stopped. " If this visit is to continue, I'm going to have to see what's up there. Is that okay with you ? "

" Do you really think I put eggs up my ass ? " Jonathan asked.

He couldn't help his tone from sounding as defensive than it it. It was just a ludicrous accusation, and he couldn't imagine anyone with a brain doing that.

" No, that's not it at all, " Doctor Gibson said. " Sometimes we just need to take an extra precaution to make sure that there isn't something lodged into your digestive tract. "

" Check up there if you want to, but there isn't going to be anything that I put up there, " he replied.

Jonathan turned to face the door as the door, as the nurse that had drawn his blood came through. She looked incredibly concerned just as well as being rather confused.

" Doctor Gibson, can I speak with you in the hallway ? " the nurse asked.

The two women left the room, where they began to discuss something Jonathan couldn't make out through the thick wooden door.

He and the sonagrapher sat in baffled silence as they observed the white and grey mass that was on the screen. The grey thing on the inside still wiggled, though it wasn't wiggling like a worm. 

The door opened once again as Doctor Gibson came back in with a urine collection cup.

" Mister Byers, " she began. " We're going to need you to take a urine sample. The results from your blood test are rather . . . puzzling. We feel as if a urine test can help us confirm our suspicions. " 

Jonathan put the town back on, and it clung to the gel that was on his stomach. He opened the door and walked down the hallway, where a bathroom was at. He locked the door behind himself before stripping down completely. He couldn't pee all over that gown.

He unscrewed the top before setting himself up to urinate. He filled up the cup before screwing the top back on and setting it on the sink so he could wash his hands. He picked up the gown from the ground before slipping back into it and heading back down the hallway. He entered the door once again and handed the urine sample to the nurse that had drawn his blood, and she rushed out of the room.

Jonathan sat back onto the table before shedding his gown to his waist again.

The sonagrapher applied more gel before planting the doppler back onto Jonathan's stomach.

" Doctor Gibson, is it cancer ? " Jonathan asked.

He was prepared to hear a confirming response. He had already formulated a plan of what he could do if it was. He got no response.

" Doctor. "

Doctor Gibson shook her head.

" We've never seen anything like this before. "

The nurse came back into the room, looking completely stumped.

" The results came back positive, Doctor. "

" Positive for what ? " Jonathan asked. " If it isn't cancer, then what is it ? "

Doctor Gibson bit her lip and looked rather nervous. The middle aged doctor fidgeted with her lab coat before locking eyes with Jonathan.

" Well, your tests are claiming that you're . . . " she paused. " The tests - You're producing the hormones that an expecting woman would produce. "

Jonathan shook his head. His had to be a joke. Jonathan was obviously a male, he could take off that hospital gown right there and prove it. They had to have been joking, or all around morons.

" Excuse me ? " he asked.

" You're pregnant, Mister Byers, " the nurse said.

Jonathan's eyebrows quickly knitted into frustration. He was leaving the establishment. He could drive up to Indianapolis and get a real medical professional to give him an educated diagnoses. The man stood from the table, and held his genitals back with his hospital gown.

" You have to be fucking kidding me, " he said. " I'm leaving. "

" Mister Byers, please, " Doctor Gibson said. " Please sit back down, w - we can prove it to you. "

" Fine, " he said. " I'll humor you guys. "

He sat back on the table, exposing his stomach once again. Considering the last blob of lubricant had fallen off of his stomach when he stood. He locked eyes with the ultrasound screen, shaking his head and muttering expeletives.

" Andrew, give us a pulse, " Doctor Gibson ordered.

The sonagrapher pinpointed where the mass was, before pressing a few buttons.

An undeniable sounding of ' lub - lub - lub ' repeated itself inside the room. Whatever that was inside of Jonathan was definitely alive.

Doctor Gibson gave Jonathan a sympathetic look, considering how bewildered he looked.

If he was being honest, he was on the verge of tears. This would have never been a possibility to him. He couldn't be this. He was already used to being a freak by other people's standards, but he felt like an abomination to himself, and that wasn't a feeling he had ever encountered. In that moment, Jonathan Byers hated himself.

" Jonathan. " Doctor Gibson whispered.

" Kill . . . it . . . " he said.

" Well, we need to explain - "

" Just kill it !! " he shouted. " Get that thing out of me, I want it to be dead !! " 

" Mister Byers, calm down, " Doctor Gibson stated. " We need to explain a few things to you. "

" I don't care what you do, just kill it !! " Jonathan cried.

" We can't. "

Jonathan stopped and shook his head. He grabbed Doctor Gibson by her lab coat and yanked her towards him.

" You have to !! "

" We can't, Mister Byers, " she said. " That thing is attached to you, look that the black divots surrounding it. " 

Jonathan looked at the screen, seeing parts of him were attached to this egg. 

" We don't know what kind of connections were made, and if we go in and snip everything off, we could potentially cause permanent damage or even kill you. "

Jonathan let go of her and held his hands against himself.

" Whatever this egg is, it's made a burrow out of your colon. It's made, some sort of . . . artificial womb. It nested itself off of your colon, and is more than likely using your organs to survive. "

Jonathan buried his face in his hands. He wanted so badly to cry, but he couldn't seem to force any tears out. His body was too far into shock to feel any emotions other than all of the negative ones at once.

" Wh - What am I going to do ? " he asked.

" We suggest eating some lighter meals for now, in order to cope with your nausea, and help put back on some weight, " Doctor Gibson began. " And avoid breaking the egg, because who knows how your body will react to whatever's inside. "

" We can't get rid of it ? " he asked.

" There seems to be no other choice than to allow it to incubate to full term, " Doctor Gibson explained. " Then once the egg is ready and has detached from you, we'll remove it. "

Jonathan lifted his face from his hands, and shook his head. He had to deal with this now. He didn't know how to feel and he was completely lost on what to tell everyone. He had a plan before, but that plan was gone and out the window now. He couldn't just tell his mom, Will, and Nancy he was pregnant, or else he would sound psychotic and be thrown into a nut house to the end of his days. He could never let Nancy see him, with an egg, that only seemed to be growing into what would only look like a baby bump. How was he supposed to go out in public like that ? He would look like an entire freak show. Maybe he could pass it off as a beer belly, but Jonathan didn't habitually drink beer . . . or drink period.

He would figure it out later, because right now, he didn't have the time to think. He had to get checked out, and pick up Will from school.


	2. *•.¸📷 вullєtprσσf 📷¸.•*

August Twenty - Second, Nineteen Eighty - Six

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

The Byers Residence

📷

Jonathan held the phone to his ear, as the busy signal rang. He held the sonogram pictures in his hand, his eyes scanning over the various pictures he had been provided after yesterday.

It was ugly. All that showed was some white, egg shaped blob in the middle of black paper. It was like looking at nothing, but that may just be because he still was angry with himself for letting it happen.

Finally, Nancy's voice was on the other side of the line.

" Jonathan ? "

" We need to break up, " he said.

" What ? " she asked. " Jonathan, are you okay ? "

" We need to break up. "

" Did something happen at the doctor's office ? " she asked. " Is there something wrong ? "

" Yes, so we need to break up, " he said. " It's not your fault, it's just . . . I can't burden you with what's going to happen. "

" What did you find out ? " she asked.

" I can't tell you, " Jonathan said. " You'll find out soon enough. "

" Jonathan, I want to be there with you, regardless of what happens, " Nancy said. " That's what a girlfriend does. "

" You won't like me after awhile, " he replied. " Hell, I barely even like myself right now. "

" That's not true !! I'll always like you. "

" I'm not going to be the same person in a few weeks. You're gonna be looking into the eyes of someone you don't even know anymore. "

" You're overreacting, " she said. " It doesn't matter if you lose weight, or your hair falls out; you're still my boyfriend. "

" Nancy, this is for the best, " he stated. " If you want to stick around, go ahead, but I feel that we should at least take a break for awhile. I can't handle a relationship right now, and you won't be able to handle me. "

" You keep saying that, but I don't think that's true, " she responded. " There is nothing you could do that would make you too hard to handle. "

" Nancy, listen to me, " he started. " I'm going to go through a lot of changes over the next few weeks, probably even months. I'm not going to feel the same, and I might not even look the same. I'm doing this to protect you from what I'm going to be. "

" Can you please tell me what you found out ? " she asked.

" It's not cancer. " he said.

" Well, then what is it ? "

" Like I said before, I can't tell you. "

" Why not ? " she asked.

" It doesn't make much sense, and you'll think I'm crazy. "

" It wouldn't be the first time something crazy has happened around here, " Nancy said. " I wouldn't be surprised if it's some kind of weird Upside Down super virus. "

" It's not - okay, it's kind of like that, but still, " he said. " The point is, right now, our relationship won't last. You won't feel the same about me in a few weeks as you do right now. "

" Why do you think that ? " she asked.

" Don't worry about it, " Jonathan said. " Let's just leave it as, for now, we're just friends. Maybe we could try again in a few months, because I still love you, but my main focus is myself right now. "

" So, we . . . we're not together anymore ? " she asked.

Jonathan couldn't help but to nod, even though she wouldn't be able to see him behind the phone. Maybe that was a good thing, because he was on the verge of tears again. He never thought he would have to break up with Nancy, because he truly loved her, but he needed to protect her, and he needed to take care of himself.

" Yeah, " he replied. " For now. "

Both of them were silent, but they continued to stay on the line. It was like they were expecting a miraculous recovery from how harsh the conversation was. That was never going to happen.

" Look, if you want to come to dinners and stuff still, I'm okay with that, and I'm sure everyone else would be too, " he said. " But we can't date anymore. "

" I know, " she said.

" It's not you, Nancy, " he said. " I promise, it's me. "

" I know, " she replied.

" We're having spaghetti tonight, " he stated. " You're invited, if you want to come over. "

" I might, " Nancy replied. " But, I also haven't had dinner with my family in a long time, now that I think about it. "

" If you want to eat with them, that's fine, " he said. " Just know you're welcome here, if you want to come over. "

" Bye, Jonathan, " Nancy dismissed.

" Bye, Nancy, " he responded. " I still love y- "

The busy tone began to ring again. She had hung up, but he didn't blame her. He probably hurt her feelings more than he hurt his own. Their relationship was going well, it was near perfect. Jonathan knew that if he didn't cut it off now, then it would only tear itself apart, but they didn't always think the same. 

The front door opened up and Will came inside, hanging his backpack up on the coat rack.

" What's that in your hands ? " Will asked.

Jonathan rolled up the sonogram before tucking them into his pocket. He hung the phone up before raising an eyebrow.

" A ' Hi ' would have been nice, " Jonathan stated.

" Hi, " Will greeted. " What's in your pocket ? "

" Stuff I got from the hospital yesterday, " Jonathan said.

" I thought you said there wasn't anything wrong ? " Will asked.

" There isn't. " Jonathan replied.

" They normally don't send you back with anything unless there's something wrong. " Will pointed out.

" There's nothing wrong, Will, " Jonathan said. " Don't worry about it. "

" Did they find something ? " Will asked.

" Yeah, " Jonathan said. " But it's not a big deal. "

" Are you sure ? " Will asked. " Normally when they find something; it's a huge deal. "

" It's not, " Jonathan said. " It's not hurting me. I just have to watch what I eat, so I don't puke every time I do. "

" What do you mean it's not hurting you ? " Will asked.

" It's nothing. They can take it out in a few weeks to a month. " Jonathan said.

" So, it's a tumor ? " Will asked.

" Kind of, " Jonathan said. " But I'll be okay. "

" Are you sure ? " Will asked. 

" Yeah. " Jonathan replied.

" Can I see the tumor ? " Will asked.

" Uh, no, " Jonathan said. " There isn't really anything to see anyway. It's so small, it barely even shows up. It's not really interesting. "

" I'm sure it's cooler than you think it is, " Will said. " Can I see it ? "

" Drop it, Will, " Jonathan said. " It's not something I want other people seeing. "

" It's just a tumor, " Will said. " There's nothing crazy or embarrassing about it. "

There was no way of backing out of this. Maybe he wouldn't see what it truly was. He did skim over details sometimes, so it was a hit or miss. Jonathan pulled the roll of sonogram photos and held his hand out to Will.

Will beamed a shiny grin as he rushed over and took the pictures. He unraveled the whole roll, holding it to full view.

Jonathan leaned against the wall and watched his brother.

" Whoa, I thought you said it didn't show up ? " Will asked.

" Barely, " Jonathan stated.

" What's that grey thing in it ? " Will asked.

' Shit ' was the only word that could come to Jonathan's mind. How was he going to worm his way out of that ?

" Egg ? " Will asked. " What does that mean ? "

" It's the shape of it. " Jonathan replied.

" What's the grey thing ? " Will asked again. " Alive ? What - Is that thing alive ? Is there something living inside you ? "

" It's like a parasite. " Jonathan lied. 

" You have a parasite ? " Will asked. " Why didn't they take it out ? That's actually pretty serious, Jonathan. "

" It's not exactly a parasite, " Jonathan claimed. " You remember Catastrophe, right ? "

" That creepy, monster girl ? " Will asked. " The one that liked you ? "

" In order to . . . forward her ' super human ' species, she had to implant . . . eggs, " he responded.

" So you're . . . having an egg ? " Will asked.

" I know I sound crazy, Will, " Jonathan said. " Look, I didn't believe it at the hospital either. "

" Why couldn't they take it out ? " Will asked. " If it's an egg, then that means it can incubate itself. "

" They don't know how dangerous it is, so they're going to let the egg detach itself from me, before they take it out. "

" What are you going to do with it when they take it out ? " Will asked.

Jonathan shrugged. He hadn't truly thought about it, but an answer did come to mind. It seemed to be the only logical answer to what he could do.

" I could sell it to another lab ? " he proposed.

" Catastrophe was made in a lab, don't you think that's dangerous ? " Will asked. " I - I mean, they might use this egg as another government weapon, and then another person would have to go through the same stuff you're going through. "

" Not my problem, " Jonathan replied. " I could sell it to people that know more about this stuff than I do, or we could have some weird alien omelettes. "

" Ew, gross !! " Will exclaimed. " I'll pass on the alien omelettes. "

Jonathan gave a smile, as Will also chuckled too.

Jonathan felt his legs beginning to fall asleep, a rather common thing anymore. He seemed to always be exhausted, and now he knew the reason. He walked his way towards the living room before plopping down on the couch.

Will followed before flopping back into an armchair. He swept some of his hair from his face before raking it away with his fingers.

" But, you're not keeping it ? " Will asked.

" Why would I keep it ? " Jonathan asked. " I don't want it, and I can't even take care of it. "

" What if it needs you ? " Will asked.

" What would it need me for ? " Jonathan asked. " It's taking whatever it needs from me right now. I'm pretty sure it'll be able to take care of itself after awhile. "

" I'm just saying, what if this thing is more like us than we think ? " Will asked.

" If it passes for human, then it can go to an orphanage or foster care, " Jonathan said. " I'm nowhere near ready to take on a kid, so I might as well give it to someone that can. "

" I guess . . . " Will commented. " It would be cool to be an uncle though. "

Jonathan scoffed and sat up on the couch. He wouldn't understand how hard it was to raise a kid. He is the youngest, and he wasn't around babies all the time. The closest Will has been to a baby was Holly Wheeler, and that kid is seven now.

" Unless you're planning on helping me raise it, then you can't talk, " Jonathan said. " Do you wanna change diapers and be up with it at three in the morning ? "

" That's a mom's job. " Will teased.

" I'm definitely not a mom, " Jonathan said.

" You have an egg baby inside of you, " Will pointed out. " So, I think you qualify. "

" It's more of a parasite, " Jonathan argued.

" You just said that it's not a parasite !! " Will retorted.

" If I'm being honest, I don't know what it is. " Jonathan said. " We'll see in a few months. "

" What was it like ? " Will asked. " Finding out ? "

" I'm still processing how I feel, " Jonathan said. " I . . . I don't know right now. "

" How long has it been in there ? " Will asked.

" The doctors said six weeks, " Jonathan replied. " So, that means around two or three months ? "

" Two. " Will responded.

" Have you told anyone else yet ? " Will asked.

" Nope, " Jonathan responded. " I want to tell mom, sooner rather than later, but I don't know how, and there's totally no way that I'm telling anyone else until the egg starts showing. "

Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head.

" That means you can't tell anyone else, " Jonathan said. " I'm going to keep it a secret from mom for now. She's going to freak out when she finds out. "

" Oh yeah, that's a given, " Will said. " You told me how bad it was when I was . . . when the Upside Down was a part of me. "

" She went nuts, " Jonathan said. " Imagine how it's going to be when I tell her I broke up with Nancy. "

Will jumped up from the chair and his eyes widened.

" You broke up with Nancy ? " Will asked. " Why would you do that ? "

" Imagine being in Nancy's shoes, " Jonathan started. " Would you want to be known as the girlfriend of the pregnant guy ? "

" It's not the best label, but I'd stick with it. " Will replied.

Jonathan couldn't help but to sigh and put his head in his hands. He lifted his head once he was ready to talk again.

" No, Will, you don't get it, " Jonathan said. " Nancy cares about how people feel about her. She wouldn't want to be seen as a freak. "

" You said being a freak wasn't a bad thing. " Will replied.

" No, I mean, being that weird loner that takes pictures is cool or being that kid that's obsessed with Dungeons And Dragons is cool, " Jonathan said. " Being . . . this . . . isn't cool. "

" You're still my brother, " Will said. " Just because you're gonna get a gut in a few months doesn't mean I'm going to feel any different about you. "

" Not everybody thinks the same as you. " Jonathan said.


	3. *•.¸📷 sєvєn nαtíσn αrmч 📷¸.•*

August Twenty - Second, Nineteen Eighty - Seven

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

The Byers Residence

📷

Joyce carries her own and Jonathan's plates to the table. She listened to Jonathan's request to have only a little bit of spaghetti, even though Jonathan wanted to have more.

" Nancy isn't coming over tonight ? " she asked.

Jonathan shook his head and picked up his fork.

" She might not be coming over for awhile, " Jonathan replied. " We're uh . . . on a break ? "

Jonathan looked from his plate to see Joyce's face in one of shock. She sat at the table, and her eyes didn't leave her eldest son.

" Well, I . . . what happened ? " Joyce asked.

" They found something at the hospital, " Will said. " Jonathan said it's not a big deal though. "

" What the hell, Will ? " Jonathan asked.

Jonathan didn't know why Will would do that. He told Will not to tell anyone. Usually, his brother was good at keeping stuff secret, and the one time that Jonathan truly wanted something to stay secret, he had to open his mouth. He knew he couldn't get mad, but he couldn't help the frustration from building.

" What did they find, Jonathan ? " Joyce asked. " Normally when they find something, it's serious. " 

His mom seemed to be calm. That was a good thing. He didn't want her to worry too much, and he planned on keeping it that way.

" It's really nothing, " Jonathan said. " It'll be gone in a few months. "

" A few months ? " Joyce asked. " It doesn't take that long to take something out. "

Damn it, now she was getting suspicious. Maybe if he explains it just a little bit, it'll make her less nervous. It won't seem like a big deal if he explains it . . . or so he thinks.

" It's not safe yet, " Jonathan stated. " The doctors need to . . . figure out what it is first. We don't know if it could be a tumor or - "

" You have a tumor ? " Joyce asked.

Maybe that wasn't the best choice of words. He could have simply said that he had an infection, and gotten it over with. 

" We don't know if it's a tumor, " Jonathan explained. " It might be, but we know it isn't cancer and it could also just be inflammation or an infection. "

" Are you sure it isn't serious ? " Joyce asked. " I could come to your next appointment with you, for support. "

" No, mom, " he said. " I don't need support. I can do this on my own. "

" I - If you say so . . . " she commented. " I know that you want to do things on your own now. "

The table fell silent as they began eating. Jonathan couldn't help but to look to his mom a few times. He bit his lips and shook his head. He never wanted to hurt his mom's feelings but . . . she didn't need to know about this, not yet. He couldn't even think of a way to tell her - how could he possibly, as her son, tell her that he was kind of expecting ? Was it truly a pregnancy if it was an egg ?

It was a Pandora's Box of questions. He would have to tell her about what Catastrophe did to him, and he didn't want to think about that. He wanted to forget about Catastrophe all together, even though the thought of her somehow forced its way back into his head.

" Mom, it's not because I don't want you there, " he said. " I just need to process it by myself first. It's a lot to handle. "

Joyce seemed to bite the inside of her cheek before nodding slowly.

Jonathan could tell that he hurt her feelings. He hated doing that, but he was trying to protect her and he was trying to protect himself. He didn't want her to worry about him or for her to . . . react badly. She had always been supportive of himself and Will, but this was just so strange and awful; what if she kicked him out after finding out ?

He was an actual freak now. He could barely accept himself, and it was an absolute miracle that Will reacted as well as he did, even if Jonathan didn't really accept the reaction with grace.

Irritability; it wasn't quite common for him to be irritable yet, but he couldn't help but to get frustrated quicker. He did his best to remain calm and collected like he always did. He couldn't help but to feel more frustrated, he absolutely hated himself. He was just as frustrated with himself as he was everyone around him.

" Look, mom, I promise, you'll know what's wrong as soon as I do, " Jonathan reassured.

" I feel like you're hiding something from me, " she said. " And I don't want you to feel like you have to hide stuff from me. I'm your mom, it's my job to be there for you. "

" I know, " Jonathan answered. " And I want you to be, but at a distance for now. Just for a little bit. I want you to know what it is, but I need to figure things out first. "

That was definitely a truth. He did need to figure a lot out. First of all, what if there was something awful inside of him, like a monster with seventeen eyes and eight legs. Would he kill it ? It wouldn't be hard for him to kill a spider baby in cold blood. Things like that shouldn't exist; things like Catastrophe shouldn't exist.

What if it looked like Catastrophe ? What if it had fangs and a tentacle tongue, with claws and slitted eyes ? What if the first instinct that thing had was to kill him or part of the staff ?

He wouldn't want to turn a hospital into a bloodsoaked nightmare, and he didn't think he could look that thing in the eyes if it looked anything like Catastrophe. He wanted Hawkins to go back to normal, where they didn't have to deal with the Upside Down, or demogorgons, or Russian communists - he didn't want to deal with any of that, but he knew Hawkins was going to be absurd for the next few months. His life was going to be absurd for the next few months, and he just had to deal with it.

If it was anything like her, he would have to hide it until someone bought it for scientific research. Then it would be out of his life for good. Call him cold hearted if you wanted, anyone would do the same in this situation. That was what he was going to tell himself until the egg was out.

What if the egg didn't even hatch and this was all for nothing ? What if it actually is some sort of parasite and it ends up killing him before bursting from his stomach like in the " Alien " movies ? Dying seemed like a fun option, or it seemed like the best option for him in his opinion. How could he live with himself with this monster growing inside of him ? He felt like a ticking time bomb, but he was so ready for it to all end at that point.

He looked down at his half eaten plate of spaghetti before feeling a wave of nausea come over him. He loved spaghetti, but it was beginning to make him sick. Everything seemed to make him sick anymore, but wasn't that to be expected during . . . whatever this is ?

He pushed back from the table before rushing to the bathroom. He slammed the door shut behind him before hearing footsteps following close behind him.

He opened the lid of the toilet before bending over. He wasn't going to vomit just yet, but he didn't want it to sneak up on him at the table and everyone lose their appetites. He wanted to enjoy a dinner with his family, because as soon as he'd come back home he would be in his bed with a trashcan at his bedside, two liter bottle of Sprite, and a pack of saltine crackers.

It was like he lived in there. The only time he would come out was to use the bathroom, switch out the bag in the trashcan, or shower and get ready for work. He would crash asleep as soon as he got home and wouldn't wake up until he only had thirty minutes to get ready, even then he still felt . . . exhausted.

A knock was heard at the door.

" Jonathan, are you throwing up again ? "

It was his mom, and she sounded panicked. He didn't blame her. It was a constant cycle of vomiting, and sleeping, and pain.

" I'm fine, " he answered. " I'm fine, mom. "

" Did they give you anything for your stomach ? " she asked. " Have you been taking it ? "

" They didn't, but it's going to be okay . . . " he responded.

He got to his knees and began to gag. The door popped open, considering he only shut it and didn't lock it. His mom helped him vomit into the toilet before holding him to her chest and comforting him.

He felt weak, and he just wanted to sleep again. He wanted to sleep forever. He stayed silent, thinking about what his next move was going to be. He felt tears slipping down his cheeks and he wasn't sure why; whether he be upset or in pain. His mom was saying something . . . his mind was too fogged to tell what she was saying.

" Mom, I'm pregnant, " he said.

" What ? " she asked. " Jonathan, you can't be. Y - You're a man. "

" No, I'm pregnant, " he answered.

His words were mumbled and slightly slurred, considering his physical state. He was ready to pass out.

" Will, get your shoes on, " Joyce called to the dining room. " Your brother's delusional, he need to get a real diagnosis. We're going back to the hospital. "

" Mom, listen to me, " Jonathan begged. " I'm pregnant. "

" Yes, Jonathan, " she agreed. " You're pregnant. "

It was obviously for the sake of agreeing with him. She wasn't going to listen to him. He pulled himself from off the floor, before heading back to his room to get ready for another round of testing and explaining to his mom. He would have to talk about Catastrophe and . . . he didn't want to talk about that ever again.

The Byers family made it to the front door and began to put their jackets on. Joyce was the first one out the door. Will began to walk out but Jonathan grabbed him by the shoulder.

" Will, " he whispered. " Tell mom. "

Will knitted his eyebrows in confusion.

" Tell her what ? " he asked.

" Tell her that I'm pregnant, " Jonathan answered. " You know I am. Tell her because I don't want to do this again, I can't talk about it anymore. "

" I'm not getting tests done on me if I don't have to, " Will said. " You know I don't like hospitals. "

" Will, please, " Jonathan said. " I already feel bad for worrying her, I can't make her worry about this or go off on the doctors. "

" What's the problem with her doing that ? " Will asked.

" They can't take it out, " Jonathan answered. " It'll kill me if they try. I don't want to go out like that. "

Jonathan felt himself beginning to cry again. He couldn't go out like that, if he were to go out at all. He wanted to die, but not like this. He was more okay with suicide, even if that were more pathetic. He couldn't die in a hospital over something he couldn't control. It felt like he had already lost enough control. He couldn't protect himself from Catastrophe, and she had full power over him, and now this stupid fucking egg did. If the egg killed him . . . what would he do ? 

Joyce came back inside.

" What's taking you guys so long ? " she asked. " We need to get to the hospital and get answers. "

Will gave Jonathan a look of sympathy, before leading him out to the car. 

Jonathan took passenger seat, but he faced away from Joyce. He looked out the window, past his reflection, looking at the stars in order to calm himself down. He had to, so he could explain the story behind, in order for his mom to believe him.

" Mom, can you listen to me ? " he asked.

The car was silent.

" Catastrophe did it, " he mumbled. " She did this to me. "

" Catastrophe was . . . female, right ? " Joyce asked.

" Well, yeah, but - "

" She couldn't of gotten you pregnant, " Joyce stated. " She doesn't even have all the right parts. You don't have the right parts. "

" But she did, mom, " Jonathan replied.

His tone was more aggressive, but she needed to listen to him. He never wanted to yell at her, he loved his mom, but she wasn't listening to him.

" She had a penis, and it hurt, " he argued. " I was there, I would know. "

They were already on the road, headed to the hospital. It was like they couldn't back out of going back in there.

" Do I need to go into detail about what happened ? " he snapped. " Do I need to talk about how she pinned me against a wall, and how she tore my clothes off ? Do I need to talk about how I bled and how it felt ? "

Joyce's expression turned from one of distress to one of alert. She analyzed Jonathan as they were at a red light.

" Do you need to know every gritty detail of that night ? Do I need to talk about how I lost control ? How I looked like a little bitch ? " Jonathan asked.

" It sucks, " he said. " The nights ever since, I can't sleep without nightmares. It's like every single moment of that is on my mind, on repeat, and I can't wake up. "

" Does any of that convince you, or do I have to keep going ? " he asked.

Joyce put her hand on his shoulder before continuing to drive until they reached a Dairy Queen parking lot that was nearly empty.

Jonathan realized what he had done before leaning over to hug Joyce. He began crying for the third time that night. He squeezed his mom as she wrapped her arms around him. 

" I'm . . . so sorry, " he whispered. " I didn't mean to get mad, but . . . "

" Jonathan, " she whispered. " It's okay. "

" I just wanted you to believe me . . . " he answered.

" I don't understand, " she answered. " But I'm here for you. I always am, and I always will be. "

" Catastrophe lays eggs, " Will commented. " So, Jonathan is what we might call ' eggnant '. "

Will let off a laugh at his own joke. It definitely was a good way to bring a lighter side to the situation, especially considering how the night had been going.

Jonathan pulled back and smiled before facing Will and back to his mom. He shrugged and nodded.

" So there's an egg in there ? " Joyce asked.

" Yeah, basically, " he said. " Whatever Catastrophe did, it like implanted an egg inside of me. "

" Why won't they take it out ? " Joyce asked.

" It's like inside me - inside me. We don't know what will happen if we do, " he answered. " It's living off of me, we're trying to see if it's going to detach naturally. "

" What are you going to do with the egg or whatever's inside the egg when it's out ? "

Jonathan looked to the Dairy Queen before giving one of his first actual smiles of the night.

" Let's talk about it over some ice cream. "


	4. *•.¸📷 dαncíng wíth mчsєlf 📷¸.•*

October Third, Nineteen Eighty - Seven

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

The Byers Residence

📷

Jonathan had started showing. Key word being started. If he wore a baggy shirt or a jacket, you wouldn't be able to tell. It was jacket season in Hawkins, so he was perfectly okay with that. The real problem he was more worried about would be come late March, when the egg will be the same size as a watermelon, considering it had grown since then.

When he had first seen the size of the egg, the doctors estimated that it was the same size as a duck egg, but now it was the same size as an apple. He couldn't think of an egg that size.

Fat began storing, in order to create a layer of protection between the egg and the outside world. He has also passed off this weight gain as the fact he was eating again at work. He wasn't going to really tell people unless it became so incredibly obvious. He hoped it wouldn't, but that was the stupidest hope he could cling to.

He was about to take a bath, which he hadn't done in years, but considering that everything was beginning to feel sore, he assumed it would relax him. If it wasn't him, puking his brains out and consistently feeling nauseated, it was his skin burning and itching around his stomach while the rest of his body ached.

At least he was able to eat without throwing up immediately. He still couldn't eat spaghetti, because the egg refused to use it. It also rejected Jonathan's vitamins, which left him with the constant exhaustion.

He couldn't help but to look in the mirror to see that he was developing a five o'clock shadow. After this egg entered his body, it seemed like he was growing a mustache or a beard every week, and not even a good, manly one, a wispy, patchy one.

He took his razor from the medicine cabinet before taking shaving cream as well. He shook the can before applying the foam to his face. He took a closer look in the mirror, seeing that his bags and dark circles had only gotten deeper and darker. He hadn't been able to get much sleep, because every time he would get comfortable, he needed to pee or puke. He would wake up in the middle of the night because he would get chills or hot flashes or literally anything would be wrong and he'd be uncomfortable.

He scowled at his reflection before opening the razor and gliding the razor down his cheeks. He pressed his stomach to the sink, in order to get all the falling shaving cream and hair into the sink, but felt a jolt of pain radiate from his stomach all around his body before jolting back up.

" Fuck !! " he shouted. " Keep doing shit like that and I'll take this razor to my neck and end us both. "

He adjusted his posture before continued to shave. Once he finished, he wiped his razor off and cleaned out the sink, before washing his face off. He noticed that he had cut himself from when the egg had hurt him, so he tore a sheet of toilet paper from the role and dabbed the sheet of toilet paper onto the cut before tearing off a piece that adhered to it.

He pulled up his shirt before tossing it onto the pile of laundry in the corner of the bathroom. He turned to the bathtub before leaning over to turn on the bathtub. He plugged the tub with the bath plug. 

He looked down at his stomach, placing his hands on his growing belly. The touch seemed . . . soothing, at least, if not to Jonathan, the egg. The soreness subsided for a moment, and was replaced with a comfort. He took his hands off to feel the water temperature.

Last appointment they told him to stay away from too hot of water, because it might cook the egg or something, and then the egg might break due to the temperture and leak inside of Jonathan. That meant he had to say goodbye to a lot of things like caffeine ( he really needed a cup of caffeinated coffee ), alcohol ( which wasn't that big of an issue, Jonathan didn't drink anyways ), drugs ( which Jonathan had only smoked marijuana a few times, but he want a regular drug user ), and hot showers ( he had a bigger problem giving that up than he thought he would've ).

His life had also been one of isolation, he didn't expect to lose so many people close to him. He was lucky to have his mom and Will to keep him company. He knew Steve would leave eventually, which was the case when Steve began dating a girl that only Nancy had talked to ( her name was Jennifer, but everyone called her Spacey or Space Cadet ), he was never really close with Robin, and he didn't really talk to Will's friends outside the occasional small talk when they were over. The person he missed the most was Nancy.

He hadn't even seen Nancy since he broke up with her, which was surprising, because he could only assume that he would've ran into her at Melvald's or Radio Shack, even at Family Video, where he would occasionally hold a conversation with Steve ( which melded into listening to the guy gush about his girlfriend ), but no. It was like she had dropped off the face of the Earth.

The most Jonathan would get out of Mike about Nancy is that she's okay but he has no clue what she's been up to, because she was barely home anymore. Mike hasn't been either, according to Hopper, Mike had been with Eleven for the following few days.

Nancy never answered any of his calls, or when anyone else would answer, she was either busy or not home.

All he wanted was for her to be happy and doing well. So far, he had been doing better than back in August. He was still frequently irritated and depressed, but he was physically feeling much better; as good as a bloated corpse possibly could feel at least.

He got onto his knees to check the water and see if it was too warm or too cold. He felt steam coming off the water, which caused him to sigh. If he didn't have this egg inside of him, the temperature would've been perfect and he would've hopped in, but it was ' too hot ' according to the standard that his doctor had put on him. He turned off the hot tap before only allowing cold to flow inside the tub.

He leaned back against the wall and braced his arms on his knees. All he could hear was the water running. Everyone was gone, and he was alone. His mom had to work and Will had gone to Dustin's place to play video games or whatever. It was just him and Egg.

He found himself talking to the stupid thing more. He didn't know if he did because he knew it was alive, or because it made him feel less alone on days like this, but he talked to it. It wasn't like Egg could respond, or would ever hear his voice on the outside. It wasn't like he was going to keep it.

It was selfish, because if it were alive, it was hearing his voice, and bonding with it, only to never have an actual relationship with Jonathan. It was nature's biggest hoodwink against the egg. It wasn't his fault that he didn't want it, and besides, the egg would be better off without him. The future relied on how it looked, whether it be a monster of it be . . . human. If it were human, he could just give it up to a loving family looking to adopt. All that would have to come after the egg was out, if it ever hatched anyway.

If it didn't hatch, he could give it to a research center, and they could do whatever science stuff they wanted. He didn't care, as long as it was out of his sight. Then his life could go back to normal, and he could just forget about everything that happened . . . everything. It would be like none of this ever happened. He could be normal again.

He never thought he was normal, until he actually became a freak. This was untred territory. So long ago, he wore his freak flag proudly, but now, that freak flag seemed like nothing to what he has become. He was just a dope that didn't like people and took pictures. He fought monsters, sure, but that made him seem cool, this didn't. He was an outcast, even if it was by choice. This kept him safe.

He felt the water again. It was lukewarm. He wished it could be warmer, but this was about as warm as his doctors would allow. He struggled from his pants and stripped down before lifting himself into the tub.

It was nice to be naked. He didn't feel trapped. He wore the same pair of grey sweatpants as soon as he got home, because his belt would dig into his stomach, causing him to be in pain for a majority of the day, but the nakedness allowed the truest freedom. It was the only time that he wasn't feeling major pain.

He sunk himself into the water, but there wasn't much room, but the last time he had sat in the bathtub like this he was maybe eleven or twelve. He had graduated to showers as a teenager, so he didn't realize that he would be so big in this bath.

The water already felt cold in his opinion. Jonathan wanted to turn on the hot water again, but he would simply be a human pot for an alien egg to hard boil in.

" I'm like a submarine, Egg, " he commented.

He wasn't wrong. Egg was inside of him, and he was in water. On top of that, he knocked a bottle of water off the counter with his stomach the other day, so he indeed felt big. He had never been bigger.

He also had to say goodbye to sleeping on this stomach, so the egg didn't break, or try and kill him for crushing it.

Maybe he would've enjoyed the bath a little more if he had lit candles or put in bubble bath; if he did something fancy. He know in movies, where the ladies would wear a face mask, drinking a glass of wine, while listening to soothing music in a bubble bath they could disappear in.

He didn't have any face mask, but maybe, if he did, they would help out with his eye situation. He couldn't drink any wine, because his doctor advised he didn't, just in case some reaction would happen with the egg. But bubbles were a nice and safe thing they did have. He didn't think about it until then, but now the bath was too full and he couldn't add more without raising the water bill through the roof.

Whatever, at least he had an idea of what to do next time. For now, he was stuck with a warm, nearly cold bath. It wasn't like a shower would be much better.

Besides he didn't have the time. He had to go grocery shopping, since his mom was at work, and Will was at Dustin's. It wasn't like he had a huge time limit, but he wanted to go while it wasn't busy. He still wanted to avoid people as much as possible, just in case some stranger noticed . . .

He sat in the bath for a good fifteen minutes before seeing his fingers begin to prune. He knew it was time to get out at that point. He sighed, knowing the complicated process of getting out.

It wasn't a frequent happening, but when he would bend down to pick something up or pick up a cookie that rolled under the coffee table ( because he was not about to do that with his feet ), it was a labor intensive act to get up. Sometimes Will or his mom would need to help him back up. 

Jonathan braced his hands against the sides of the bath, firmly planting his feet to the ground. He sighed again before lifting himself up, and collapsing again. He took a deep breath in before attempting to lift himself up again.

He couldn't just lay and wait until someone got home. On top of that, he didn't want to wait for hours, naked on the bathtub floor, for someone to come back home and help him up. He could do it himself.

Third attempt. It was like when he had to get out of bed in the morning, it was a roll to the side, then a few minutes to lift himself up before he was out of bed. That was an every morning routine.

He was up and off the ground. He leaned over to unplug the bathtub before stepping out. He took his tower from the drying rack before drying himself off. He banded the towel around his waist, before he felt a soft burning feeling in his stomach.

" I know you don't like it, " he muttered. " But you're gonna have to deal with it. I need to put clothes on. "

He went to his room before he picked out another outfit for the day, sticking to a sweater, jacket, and jeans. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary of what he wore on his days off. It also concealed everything very well, it was like you could barely see any sort of weight gain.

He looked normal and that was pleasing to himself. It was like there was nothing wrong with him.

He walked to the front door, grabbing his keys on the way. He made his way out to his car before driving to Bradley's Big Buy. He would've gone to Melvald's, but they needed more than just spaghetti noodles, snacks, and toilet paper. Besides, his mom left him a list of things that he needed to get from there; she wouldn't of left a list if she could buy it herself.

There were still people there, but it wasn't packed, he actually got a parking space near the front. He went inside, though he felt a wavering feeling of insecurity, though it was probably impossible that anyone would be able to tell. He grabbed a shopping cart, before heading into the store. 

Jonathan pulled the paper slip from his pocket before reading off what it said.

" Milk, eggs, butter, bread ( white ), orange juice, Bisquick, lunch meat, sodas, snacks, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, ketchup, chips, dish soap, hot dogs, hot dog buns. "

If he stayed on task, it would be a quick trip. It normally was when he was the one shopping, mainly because he didn't like talking to anyone when he didn't initiate the conversation.

He knew he should probably be going to get the dish soap first, since that was at the opposite side of the store than everything else. He walked his way to where the trash bags, laundry detergent, dish soap, and other cleaning supplies were. He felt himself become slightly nauseous over the harsh smell of soap and bleach. 

The doctor said he should avoid ammonia, if not for the egg, for himself, considering it might make him nauseated. He was considered underweight, and soon the egg would feast on him if it didn't have anything else to feed on. It wasn't his fault that everything besides canned raviolis and Orange Juliuses were the only thing that didn't cause him to puke.

He took quick breaths and held them for as long as he could before he took in another, just so he wouldn't vomit in the store. It was a lot of unwanted attention if he were, and if something were to happen, concerning Egg, he wouldn't leave his house ever again. Life as a hermit sounded okay right about now, it wasn't like he wasn't already one.

He exited the aisle as quickly as possible upon grabbing the soap. One thing off the list. Now he could head to the bread aisle, where he could cross off two more items.

The aisle had a few people in it, a woman with her two kids, a very old man with his cane, and a middle aged woman in a business suit. That would be okay; the only person with a cart was the lady with kids, and the younger of the two was in the cart. That meant he didn't have to navigate around the aisle and a little kid.

He walked through pulling off to the side so he was out of the way. He pulled a bag of bread from behind him before looking in front of himself to see that was the hot dog buns. The ones on the top shelf were expensive, considering they were ' organic ' with poppy seeds on the buns and shining with more than likely hand churned butter. The ones they normally bought were . . . on the . . . bottom.

" Fuck, " Jonathan muttered under his breath.

The toddler in the cart pointed at Jonathan before tugging on his mom's sleeve.

" Mommy, he said ' Fuck ', " the toddler announced.

" Tanner !! " the mother scolded.

Jonathan simply let off an annoyed sigh and looked away from the family. He needed to focus on these damn hot dog buns. He left his cart before squatting down to grab the hot dog buns. He held onto his stomach, catching his breath before holding onto the rack and lifting himself up. If he had slipped, he probably would have left his cart there before going back home and staying in his room for sixteen years.

Jonathan walked back to his cart, putting the hot dog buns in. Next he could go to the snacks, because the chips weren't more than an aisle or two away.

He walked a few aisles down before being greeted by shelves stocked with Swiss Rolls, Fruit Roll Ups, and Handi - Snacks. They were mainly for Will, so he could pack his lunch for school, but Jonathan did pop open a pack of Keebler Magic Middles and have a few for himself, even if they did cause him to puke later.

He walked down the aisle scanning the shelves seeing if he could find something " for Will " . . . and maybe a little something for himself. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, but when he looked down the first time, nobody was down here besides two kids.

Then, crash - someone bumped their cart into his, hitting his stomach, causing a wave of pain to run its course though his body.

" Son of a bitch !! " he snapped, holding his stomach. " Watch where you're going, stupid cuuun . . . Nancy ? "


	5. *•.¸📷 í вєlíєvє ín α thíng cαllєd lσvє 📷¸.•*

October Third, Nineteen Eighty - Seven

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

Bradley's Big Buy

📷

" Hey Jonathan, " she greeted.

She gave him a grin before walking around the carts and giving him a hug. He returned the hug, even though he kind of wanted to knock her lights out for bumping into him like that. There were a few things from stopping him from doing that; he couldn't let the egg break or it would kill him, they were in public and Jonathan didn't want to attract more attention to himself than he already had, and he still loved and cared about Nancy ( Those were the reasons . . . in that order ).

They both pulled away and gave eachother smiles.

" I haven't seen you in forever, " he said.

" Me either - " she started.

She touched his stomach before giving a pout.

" You've been putting on weight, haven't you ? "

Jonathan shook his head and rolled his eyes.

" That was totally the first thing I wanted to hear, " he said. " How have you been ? I haven't seen you in forever. "

" Oh god, you know I don't mean anything by it. I know you've been sick for awhile; it's good that you're gaining weight, " Nancy replied.

" No, I'm underweight, I have hot flashes almost every night, I get nosebleeds at least four times a day, I feel like I have constant allergies, and the only thing keeping me alive is Chef Boyardee and Orange Juliuses, " Jonathan thought to himself.

" Yeah, the doctors are really encouraging me to eat, " he replied.

" But, to answer your question, I've been doing good. I got a raise at work, now I make four bucks an hour, which is pretty good, " Nancy replied. " Where have you been ? "

" Home, I don't really get out much, " he replied.

" You should, " Nancy replied. " I miss being around you. "

Jonathan wanted to scoff at that notion. She didn't miss him or else she would've came over, she would've called; Nancy didn't try to talk to him, it was like she forgot about him. But, she was here now, and he couldn't get upset about that.

" You were always welcome to the house, " he said. " Nobody would've minded you coming over. "

" When you called me, and you said you wanted to break up, " she started.

Great, this bullshit. He still cared about Nancy, but now she was putting words in his mouth. He never told her to go away, and he was sure it was going to be something like, " You sounded like you didn't want me around. " or " We can't be around eachother if you wanted to break up. " He wanted her around, and he tried to make that as clear as possible. He even told her that now wasn't the time, and it still wasn't. If she came, looking for him to have this tearful reunion and Jonathan on his knees, begging for her back, she was in the wrong place, because it was still the wrong time.

" It seemed like you didn't want me around. It felt like you only wanted me around because you felt bad for hurting my feelings, " she finished.

" I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings. I needed to protect myself, just for a little bit, I still do, " he responded. " It's nothing against you. Nothing that's wrong with me is your fault. "

" What are you protecting yourself from ? " she asked. " You know I wouldn't hurt you, at least I wouldn't hurt you on purpose. "

" You wouldn't want to be around me if you found out what was wrong with me, " he said. " I barely want to be around myself and I have to live with myself. "

" Jonathan, that's insane, " Nancy stated. " There is nearly nothing that would make me want to avoid you. "

Now could be a way to rip into her without her even realizing it. It could help him decide whether or not it would be okay to let Nancy around him. He never liked to manipulate people, it wasn't who he was as a person, but right now, he had to. It was only a precaution, he was doing it to protect himself, and Nancy, and Egg.

" What if I were pregnant with some weird alien baby ? " he asked. " Would you still want to be around me ? "

Nancy started laughing and she shook her head. She gave him a look like she didn't believe him. Of course, she didn't; the first red flag.

" That's impossible, but okay, you're pregnant with an alien baby, " she started. " I could see why you'd break up with me. Your emotions would be overwhelming, and you wouldn't be thinking straight, considering most pregnant women don't. "

He squinted and tilted his head. How could she say something like that to him ? He needed to get a hold of himself, she didn't know what she was saying. Two more red flags; she didn't believe him, and she called him moody and irrational. Maybe it wasn't safe to have Nancy around. It wasn't that he wanted to cast her out, but it was more than likely that he would have to. It was a protection thing, for him and this damned egg. Mainly for him though.

" Rude, " he commented.

He made it seem like he was teasing, but yeah, it hurt. If he were being honest, now he knew Nancy would find him to be a freak, and that hurt. He didn't want Nancy to think of him as a freak or a charity case, because that's not what he was. He never liked being the victim, or a depressed sap, but sometimes he couldn't help it. He especially couldn't help it now. He was always sad.

Having a baby, or a child, or a weird alien egg should be this jovial thing. He was bringing new life into the world, but under these circumstances, do you really blame him for being so upset about it ? He wasn't supposed to be this at all. Jonathan thought about being a parent, he thought about himself and Nancy having a couple of idiots on their own, but he didn't plan for it to be like this. He didn't want this, and he didn't want to wake up with a screaming, dependent reminder of what Catastrophe did to him.

" What ? " she asked. " You're not actually pregnant, are you ? "

Jonathan shrugged and let off a weak laugh.

" We've seen weirder, " he claimed. " Would it be that weird if I actually were ? "

" Well, I guess it would be just as weird as demon lizards from hell or communist Russians under our mall, " Nancy responded. " But, I totally can't see you as a dad. I mean, you're great with Will, but there's no way you would have the time to focus on a kid. They'd think their dad abandoned them after awhile, don't you think ? "

" So you're saying that I'd be a bad dad ? " he asked.

What a hit to the self esteem . . . but, it wasn't like he was keeping this damn egg. Why was he offended ? There was no point in getting offended, he knew he would suck at being a parent, that's why he was getting rid of this stupid, living tumor that was inside him. He couldn't take care of it no matter how human it looked.

He could barely even take care of himself.

" The shittiest, " Nancy joked. " But, you said you wouldn't want kids until you were like, thirty ? Maybe you'll be a better dad then ? "

Jonathan bit his lower lip and nodded. Why was this . . . hurting ? He didn't care . . . he would never care. Nancy was right, maybe in the future, when he could actually support and help a kid thrive, he would be great. Right now, she was right, he would suck.

" Yeah, later would be the best, " he replied. " When I actually have a backyard for them to play in, and a room for them to live in. "

" Maybe you might have a son in the future, " Nancy said. " I could see you with a boy, teaching him how to take pictures and your brother could teach him to ride a bike or play Dungeons and Dragons. We need more boys like you on the planet. "

He nodded before feeling tears falling down his cheeks. What the fuck -- Why was he crying ? This egg really fucked him up, he caught himself crying and swearing and being angry, not being able to enjoy spaghetti or B.L.Ts, having trouble laying down; he was uncomfortable all the time. 

" Jonathan, are you okay ? " she asked.

" Yeah, just got to thinking . . . " he replied. " Nancy, I have to go, gotta be back with stuff for dinner by three. Bye. "

He turned his cart away from hers and made his way around her, before giving a quick wave and continuing down the aisle. He grabbed a box of Twinkies and Ding Dongs before leaving the aisle and wiping away his stray tears. He couldn't cry . . . god, he was turning into a mess. He's been a mess for weeks.

Focus, he needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. Down the next aisle, chips, it didn't matter the kind, as long as it's cheap.

The next aisle, sodas. Maybe he was far enough away from Nancy to take his time looking, at least long enough to see what he was grabbing. Hell, he didn't even know what chips were in the cart right now.

He looked at the boxes of soda cans. Dr. Pepper, Coke, Root Beer, Crush . . . Orange Crush sounded great about now. Anything orange sounded good right now, except an actual orange, he would puke that up in an instant, just like everything else. Will normally liked Sprite, and that was something Jonathan could drink without feeling sick . . . Sprite it was. He grabbed the box before setting it into the cart.

Thankfully the box didn't tear, he already had enough drama for one shopping trip. He would probably burst into tears if it did, or he would sweep those shelves clean of soda boxes and toss them all into one rage fueled, sticky mess on the floor, before leaving. The show would be over. He grabbed another box, just in case he and Will plowed through the first one in a week.

He walked out of the aisle, just in case Nancy was around the corner. He needed to avoid her the rest of the trip.

He could head to produce before looping around to the meats and milk. That way he could make the trip as quick as possible. All he needed was lettuce and tomato, along with ketchup and mustard along the way. It was normally in front of the condiment aisle, considering that they're two of the most frequently bought condiments.

He continued down the main aisle, stopping to grab ketchup and mustard before heading to the produce. He parked his cart right next to the heads of lettuce, before picking one out and putting it into a plastic vegetable bag. He left his cart for a moment, flicking his head back over his shoulder, attempting to see if anyone decided to take his cart or something out of it while he wasn't looking.

Maybe he should've paid attention to where we was going because he bumped, stomach first, into the lobster tank.

" Fuck !! " he exclaimed.

He grabbed his stomach and balanced himself. He couldn't help but hiss as the stinging sensation ran through his body.

" You shouldn't be swearing like that in public, young man !! " a very elderly woman exclaimed.

Jonathan felt rage beginning to bubble in his veins; an irritation, or an anger he rarely felt. Jonathan didn't get mad, at least he didn't as try to. He always kept a clear head and tried to remain positive, but there were definitely times he's lost his cool. It felt like now was about to be one of those times.

" And considering the fact you're hunched over in a wheelchair, shows that you shouldn't be alive anymore, grandma !! " he snapped.

He finally realized what he had said, and it was far too late to take it back. Jonathan always respected his elders, he wasn't an asshole, but he couldn't stop what he said from coming out. The best thing to do in this situation would be to walk away and ignore the woman yelling at him for talking to her grandma like that . . . and that's what he did.

He looked down to avoid the stares. Now people were looking at him, and while he wanted to just leave his cart and get out, he only had a few things on his list to go. Besides, they needed to eat tonight and pizza wasn't cheap.

He grabbed another plastic bag and quickly grabbed a few tomatoes before getting the hell out of there. He looped to the back, where the meats were, passing by the display at the butchery.

He couldn't help but stare for a minute at one of the thick, juicy, Porterhouse steak on the ice . . . but it was ten dollars for one steak. He knew he had the money, but why would he waste it on a steak for himself when he was having to pay for nausea medication and doctor's visits, as well as saving up for the hospital bill for when he was getting this stupid thing removed. He shook his head before continuing to the processed meats.

He looked at the packages of lunch meats, and he couldn't quite remember whether Will wanted chicken or roast beef for his sandwiches, but roast beef sounded far more appetizing than chicken at that given moment, so that's what he put into the cart. He continued along the way, glancing over his shoulder back at the butchery. Maybe his family might understand his craving ? His mom has obviously done this more than once, maybe it'll be okay.

No, he couldn't risk it.

The craving he was experiencing was way too . . . odd. Nobody would understand it, except for maybe Catastrophe, and even then, she was dead. Even if she wasn't dead, he wouldn't want to talk to her. He never wanted to see her again.

He continued down to the hot dogs, which he found rather quickly, considering he knew exactly where the ones they normally got were. The cheap ones were right in front of his face, and he easily grabbed them and put them in the cart.

He felt his stomach grumble again, and he looked back to the butchery. The hunger for the steak was growing . . . his stomach was cramping. It hurt. He needed something in his stomach, he needed that.

No, he had to control it. He had to make sure whatever this feeling was - that it didn't take over. He could do without the steak.

He continued down the aisle to the milk, and eggs, butter - the cold stuff. He first picked up a carton of eggs, easy. Then the plastic tupperware container of butter was also easy.

What was hard was the milk. He lifted the jug of milk and held it against his stomach, for only a second, then the cold considation on the side of the jug sent chills throughout his body. It was probably because the skin around his stomach was sensitive and he felt nearly everything. It itched sometimes, which is why he was applying lotion along it, at the doctor's recommendation.

The steak.

He put his jug of milk into the cart before turning around and heading back to the butchery, where the butcher had laid out more fresh cuts of meat. He rang the bell and eyed the new, fresh cut of Porterhouse. The butcher came to the counter, before leaning over to eye Jonathan.

" Whattya' need ? " the butcher asked.

" I'd like to buy the Porterhouse, thank you, " Jonathan responded.

The butcher went to get a package for the meat, which was a thick sheet of paper with a wicker tie. He reached for the one in the very back before Jonathan stopped him.

" C - Can I have the front one ? " he asked. " Whenever they're on the ice too long, they're too hard to cook. "

It was obvious that the butcher seemed a little annoyed by his request, but he would rather the butcher be annoyed rather than furious when Jonathan went off on him. It wasn't like he enjoyed this chain of events, but here they were.

The butcher wrapped the steak up in the paper they used to hold steaks, before slapping a price tag on it and handing it to Jonathan. Jonathan put it into his cart before heading up to the front of the store, where he stood in the line, waiting to be checked out.

It was rather long, and this was his least favorite part of shopping, but soon it was over, and he was able to go back to his car again. He loaded the groceries into the trunk, before taking the steak out of the paper bag it was in.

Jonathan went up to the front seat of the car, before pulling it forward so he could sit down in the back. Privacy. He shut the door and unwrapped the steak from the paper. It looked delicious. 

God, he was gross . . . whatever. He needed this right now. The smell was getting to him - the smell of raw meat, fresh blood. He brought the steak to his mouth before opening his mouth and biting into it. Yes, this was very, very good. He tore off a chunk of the steak, before chewing. It was rather tough to chew but he would prevail. It was what he wanted after all, and it seemed that the egg was incredibly satisfied too.


	6. *•.¸📷 hαppч tσgєthєr 📷¸.•*

October Thirteenth, Nineteen Eighty - Seven

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

Hawkins Memorial Medical Center

📷

" I have never seen so many moms in one room before, " Will commented.

Jonathan shrugged. It wasn't the first time he was here, but it was like he blended in at this point. Nobody seemed to care that he didn't have a woman accompanying him to an obstetrician office, but he never drew any attention to himself - wait - did he look like a woman ? Whatever, this set up was working for him.

" Byers ? "

Jonathan looked up from a magazine on menstruation. It was just something to read, and at least he knew what a tampon was now. It wasn't like he asked his mom about her period; he wasn't even sure if she got them anymore. The closest he's ever gotten to that is Nancy telling him about getting cramps, and that she wasn't comfortable sleeping together that night ( and honestly . . . Jonathan didn't enjoy sex much in the first place . . . and after Catastrophe, he tried to avoid it as much as possible ).

Jonathan stood and Will followed behind him, and both the Byers brothers followed the nurse around to a room, where there was ultrasound equipment, and other hospital stuff - beds, a chair, sink, you get the idea.

Will sat down in the vinyl chair, before scrunching his nose.

" Hospitals stink, " Will said. " This is literally the worst smell ever. "

Will was also pretty biased, considering all the shit that went down with the demogorgons, and the Mind Flayer - being cooped up in a hospital against your will does stuff to you. His brother was pure proof. It was surprising that he wanted to come to Jonathan's appointment. Jonathan wasn't going to tell him ' no ', though. It was whatever.

Doctor Gibson entered the room, carrying a clipboard, smiling.

" Hello Mister Byers, " she greeted. " This is your brother ? "

" Yeah, this is the famed Will, " Jonathan teased.

" Have you been talking crap about me to your doctor ? " Will asked.

Both Jonathan and Doctor Gibson began chuckling and nodding.

" Oh yeah, " Jonathan joked. " Tons. "

" You're indeed the worst brother in the world, " Doctor Gibson claimed. " With your support, and concern - by jove, you've even shown up to an appointment with Jonathan !! The absolute worst !! "

Will began chuckling too. That was a good thing, at least Will knew that they were teasing, having fun. It was nice to have fun during such a shitty situation. It was nice that Jonathan had someone to have fun with. It wasn't like he really had anyone else at this point.

" Okay, so today we're doing another ultrasound, just to see how the egg is developing, " Doctor Gibson explained. " Maybe its detached, then we could schedule a removal soon. "

" They're going to cut you open ? " Will asked.

" Well, yeah, what did you think ? " Jonathan replied.

" Thought you were just gonna . . . " Will started.

Will shoved his fist through his other hand, slowly at first, before thrusting his arm forward a little quicker.

" You really thought I was going to shit it out ? " Jonathan asked. " I don't think that's physically possible. My body parts haven't changed. My asshole is still my asshole. "

Jonathan didn't normally swear this much, but after the past few months, he's given up on holding his tongue. Hell, he's given up on a lot of things. He only shaves when his facial hair gets all thick and scraggly. He was constantly with a wispy mustache and even had a soul patch situation going on. It wasn't an awful look on him, it just sucked that some places grew thicker hair, like his armpits. He was taking the good with the bad; because his hair was absolutely killer at this point ( soft too !! ).

Doctor Gibson let off a laugh at Jonathan's statement, before adding a piece of advice of her own.

" The human anus can only expand seven inches before taking damage. It's impossible for Jonathan to . . . birth naturally, " she said. " I'll be back with our sonographer. "

" Jeez Jonathan, " Will stated. " You kiss mom with that mouth ? "

" Nnnnope. " Jonathan replied, popping his ' P '.

" Have you thought of a name yet ? " Will asked.

" I'm trying to avoid thinking about whatever is inside of this egg, " Jonathan said. " It'll be way easier to give up if I'm emotionally detached. "

" What about Project ; Zero ? " Will asked. " Sounds Science Fiction - ey. "

Jonathan shuttered at the statement. He couldn't stand that name, solely because the encounter he had with " Project ; Catastrophe ". That name was a definite ' no '.

" Why would we go with that ? " he asked. " And besides, what if whatever's in here is female ? "

" Project ; Emily ? " Will asked.

" How about we drop the ' Project ' part all together ? " Jonathan recommended.

" Emily ? " Will asked. " That's so lame. "

" Well, Zero is cool, " Jonathan said. " I mean, I wouldn't name my kid that personally, and I'm sure whoever takes this thing isn't gonna keep ' Zero ' either. "

" Have you considered keeping it ? " Will asked.

" Hell no, " Jonathan said. " Once it's out of my life, I wanna keep it that way. "

" Whatever, " Will said. " You might change your mind. "

" I won't. " Jonathan stated.

The door opened back up and Doctor Gibson came back with a sonographer, wheeling in ultrasound equipment.

Jonathan lifted up his shirt, exposing his stomach. He shivered when they applied the gel to his stomach, even though he felt as if he should be used to the sensation by now. The doppler pressed against his stomach, and it didn't take long to find the egg. There was a spotty grey outline of a fetus ( ? ) in the egg. It surely looked like a fetus. 

" The egg has been progressing quite a lot, " Doctor Gibson explained. " Definitely bigger than last time. "

" The egg or . . . whatever that thing is ? " Jonathan asked. " I can tell it's been growing, I've been bumping stuff off counters, thankfully I can still see everything downstairs. "

It was going to be a nightmare once he reached seven - ish months, because unlike women, he actually needed to see under his stomach. He had to be able to aim when he peed somehow. Would he have to start sitting ? How was he supposed to pee sitting down ?

" Well, the fetus has grown to be the size of an apple, " Doctor Gibson explained. " The egg is about the size of a big avocado. "

" Then why is Jonathan huge ? " Will asked. 

Jonathan scowled at his brother. He was not ' huge ', just a little bigger. That's what he told himself in order to feel more secure. Was he actually huge ? Were people starting to notice ? What if people were starting to notice ?

" Well, he's gaining fat, " Doctor Gibson said. " The egg is causing his body to store fat a little easier, just so, when he does bump into things, he doesn't break the egg. "

It still hurt like a bitch when he bumped into things, so the whole ' storing fat for protection ' sounded like the biggest goddamn lie Jonathan had ever heard.

" What are those circles in there ? " Will asked.

" Where the egg is connected to your brother ? " Doctor Ginson asked.

" No, inside the egg, " Will said. " There's circles. "

Doctor Gibson laughed and shook her head.

" They're blowing bubbles, " she said. " I've barely ever seen this happen. "

Indeed they were blowing bubbles. Jonathan didn't even think fetuses could do that. He thought it was just a lie that his mom made up to make him think that his little brother was even cooler. Contrary to what it looked like now, Jonathan didn't want a baby in the family when he was a kid - funny thing being how he didn't want one now. He warmed up to Will once he held his brother for the first time.

" Have you been having any cravings yet, Jonathan ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

" He ate a whole raw steak by himself the other day, " Will claimed. " I saw the paper from the butcher in the back of his car. "

" What made you want to eat that ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

" Is this a medical question ? " Jonathan asked.

" No, " Doctor Gibson claimed. " I'm just curious. I know some women eat lemons, and other women want spicy food - but nobody has ever eaten raw meat. You actually shouldn't be eating raw meat; you could get worms. "

" Their . . . their dad, if that's what you want to call the asshole that did this to me, they uh, " Jonathan began stuttering. " They ate a lot of raw meat. It was just who they were. "

" The father ate raw meat ? " Doctor Gibson asked. " What kind of person would do such a thing ? "

" A psycho, " Jonathan claimed. " Claimed that it tasted good, soothed their ' bloodlust '. "

He could tell he was creeping Doctor Gibson and the sonographer out. It was understandable, this whole situation was weird. Catastrophe was an awful thing, and so was this egg. The egg basically turned him into a freakish monster of a kid's campfire story; like Bigfoot or the Goatman.

" I like Orange Juliuses too, " Jonathan claimed. " Can't eat spaghetti though. "

" How . . . odd, " Doctor Gibson stated.

" Do you want to see the sex of the egg ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

Thankfully she redirected the conversation, Jonathan didn't know where to take it from there. He didn't know where to go from here either. He wanted to remain as distant as possible from this stupid thing. What if knowing whether or not having a boy egg or a girl egg would attach him to it ? Nancy said she wanted him to have a boy one day; what if he was having a boy ?

What if he was having a little girl ?

He had tried pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, because he did not want to get attached, but he . . . he honestly wanted a little girl. He was so used to boys, but he had a desire to have a daughter. The love of a father and his daughter was a pure thing, and he could be gentle with her without being criticized for ' raising her wrong ', because then he would be doing everything right. He didn't want one now . . . but what if right now was his ' now or never ' ?

He didn't want this egg to be a girl.

" Can we find out, Jonathan ? " Will asked.

Well, Will wanted to know . . . would it be selfish if he said ' no ' ? What would be the harm in knowing ? What would be the harm . . . it wasn't like it was going to matter anyway. He made a vow to himself that he was not going to keep it, and that's how it was going to be. To hell with it.

" Sure, why not ? " Jonathan confirmed.

" Are you sure ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

No, he wasn't sure. He honestly wanted to do the exact opposite. He didn't want to know, he never wanted to know, because he needed to be detached. He couldn't let this stupid thing run his life. He wasn't going to let Catastrophe, wasn't going to let this egg; nothing was going to tie him down and have control of him anymore.

" Yeah, " Jonathan said. " Why not ? "

The sonographer began to scan his stomach, attempting to find the fetus' legs.

" They're hiding from us, " Doctor Gibson said. 

Doctor Gibson tapped Jonathan's stomach, before the fetus moved, flicking something from their genitals, to the side. A tail.

Jonathan felt panic rising in his system. A tail. Catastrophe had a tail. That thing growing in him looked like her. This only confirmed that he needed to get rid of it as quickly as possible. That thing was just like her, a monster.

" What was that ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

" A tail, " Jonathan said. " That's enough questions. "

" A tail ? " Will asked.

" Yes, " Jonathan said. " I don't want to talk about it anymore. "

" Okay so, " Doctor Gibson said, her tone being uneasy. " We have a . . . tail in the way. This is going to be a little . . . complex. "

Doctor Gibson squinted at the screen, attempting to analyze what was between the legs.

" It doesn't look like there's anything there, " Doctor Gibson claimed. " To the other side. "

The sonographer went back to the first side angle, but the tail was in the way of where they needed to be looking.

Doctor Gibson tapped on Jonathan's stomach again, being careful not to crack the egg or hurt Jonathan.

" C'mon sweetheart, " Doctor Gibson urged. " Cooperate with me. "

The fetus did not budge.

" What if we played music ? " Will asked.

" That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard, " Jonathan stated.

He quickly hid his mouth, he needed to watch himself. It had become a bad habit of his to say whatever was on his mind. Well . . . Will should be used to it, it wasn't the first time that Jonathan had said something off handed.

" It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, " Doctor Gibson claimed. " I mean, they can hear sounds outside the womb . . . I'm not sure that they can hear right now though. "

" We can try, " Will claimed. " What station do you normally listen to on the radio ? "

" I can't remember at the top of my head, " Jonathan said.

Damn eggnancy brain; he forgot a lot of stuff anymore. He always, always, always wrote a list for when he was going shopping. 

" Well, how about we turn on the radio and see if they respond to any sound ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

Will pulled a small satillite radio out from behind a few jars of cotton swabs, and turned it on, after raising the antenna. Static came from the radio as Will turned the dial.

" If Dustin were here, he would know exactly how to do this, " Will claimed. " D - Dustin; he's my friend. "

Finally a song came over the radio; " Total Eclipse Of The Heart " by Bonnie Tyler. It was at the beginning of the chorus as Will set the radio on Jonathan's lap.

No response.

" Is it even alive ? " Jonathan asked.

" Give us a heartbeat, " Doctor Gibson said.

The sonographer located the fetus' heart, before clipping a sound bite from it. There was a heartbeat, with an all familiar " lub - lub ". They simply weren't responding.

" They're alive, " Doctor Gibson confirmed. " Change the station. "

Will fiddled with the dial again, trying to find another station. Classical was what was next. It was something from Beethoven, not that Jonathan could remember the exact title. Normally classical titles were at least seven words.

The fetus moved their hands, jamming one of their fingers in their mouth. That was not what they needed. It was like they couldn't hear anything.

Will changed the station again, this time " Should I Stay Or Should I Go " by The Clash began playing. Just in time, it was the beginning of the song.

Jonathan bobbed his head to the beat intently focusing on his stomach. He listened to the song all the time, this stupid thing had to respond. They know this song. They had to know this song. They just needed to move their tail.

Will also began to shimmy his shoulders while watching the screen for any movements.

" C'mon, " Will urged. " Dance, move, do something. "

" We're really going to have to give this egg up if they don't know this song, " Jonathan joked. " C'mon, move your tail. "

Doctor Gibson tapped on Jonathan's stomach again. No response. The fetus still kept their hand in their mouth as they chilled in the same position.

" Do they just hate us ? " Jonathan asked.

" They might just be shy, " Doctor Gibson explained. " I mean, we are trying to check their private parts without even taking them out on a date first. "

She laughed at her own joke.

" Open your damn legs !! " Jonathan demanded.

He never said anything like that, but that is definitely a thing that would fit into " What Is A Thing You Could Say To Your Weird Alien Fetus And In Bed ? " Jonathan was far more loving in bed, but damn this thing pissed him off. Oddly enough, the anticipation was building for him too, even though he didn't actually want to know what the fetus had between their legs.

The guitar solo began playing, but even then, they still gained no response, besides the fetus blowing bubbles again.

Will turned off the radio in defeat, taking it back to it's place in the room.

That's when a miracle happened, and the fetus stretched, moving their tail behind themselves, exposing everything.

" Get a snapshot, get a snapshot !! " Doctor Gibson exclaimed.

And there the picture froze. Doctor Gibson sighed in relief and Will ran over to see what the egg was.

Jonathan was hoping, praying it be a boy. He didn't know if he could manage the pain of knowing he could've had a little girl, and he was going to give her up. He had to give her up because he could not manage what she was.

" Well . . . " Doctor Gibson started. " I don't see a . . . they don't have a wiener, a - at least, I don't see one. "

" What does that mean ? " Jonathan asked. " Y - You just - you don't see it. It could be there still, right ? "

" I mean, yes, " Doctor Gibson said. " But the chances are very unlikely. "

" I could still have a boy, right ? " Jonathan asked.

" Why are you so concerned on if it's a boy ? " Will asked.

" It'll be easier with a boy, " Jonathan said.

" Well, yeah, " Will said. " You could teach him how to pee standing up and how to shave - all of that. " 

No; it would be easier to give away a boy. He knew how boys were, Jonathan is one. He knew they weren't as emotional, they could endure more, they could deal without a parent or parents. They could take the pain of a laboratory environment. A girl needed that emotion, they needed a guide - Catastrophe didn't have those, and she turned out to be a monster. He couldn't hurt a little girl. He didn't have it in him, but he also didn't have it in him to take care of a mutated freak. He couldn't deal with a Catastrophe clone.

" It's a slim chance, Jonathan, " Doctor Gibson said. " As it stands, you're having a little girl. "

" That's still exciting !! " Will exclaimed. " Imagine having a girl !! She'll be so pretty !! "

Jonathan could imagine having a girl; having a precious, vulnerable, little thing that needed his love and care. He could imagine having a girl . . . and he could imagine how hard it was going to be to say goodbye.

Jonathan began crying.


	7. *•.¸📷 í'vє hαd thє tímє σf mч lífє 📷¸.•*

December Nineteenth, Nineteen Eighty - Seven

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

The Byers Residence

📷

It had been a long day, and Jonathan was basically ready to come home and rest. It was something he knew he deserved. The fact that he now, officially, had a " baby bump " or what he and Will affectionately called an " egg bump ", was putting a lot of strain on his back, feet, hips . . . sanity. He had to look in the mirror every morning and be greeted with it. It was awful, and at this point, he couldn't wait to get it taken out. He was about a quarter of the way to his goal to pay for the surgery. It would all be over in a few weeks. He was making progress, and the egg showed signs of growing, and there was definitely something alive in it. Jonathan had already began making plans of giving the egg to a lab in Maine. The stupid thing would be out of his life soon.

He opened the front door and the lights were off. Whatever, maybe they weren't home. All that meant is that he could go and take a bath, or take a nap. Well, he could just head back out and go to Dairy Queen and Orange Julius, get himself an Orange Julius before going to the store and getting a -

" Surprise !! "

Jonathan jumped and shielded himself from the light that radiated from the dining room. What the fuck was going on ? It wasn't anyone's birthday - and he turned to see Will, his friends, Nancy, Steve, Steve's girlfriend, Chief Hopper, and his mom, with presents, balloons, and a cake. 

" What is wrong with you guys ? " he asked.

" It's a surprise Egg shower !! " Will exclaimed.

" Well, we wanted you to know, that even if you wanted to give the egg away; you could always change your mind, and - " his mom began.

" How does everyone know ? " Jonathan asked.

" We invited them over for lunch while you were at work, " Will said. " We showed them your ultrasounds, and we - "

" Why would you guys do that ? " Jonathan asked.

Of course he was mad - no, furious. He wanted to keep this a secret, and get it over with behind closed doors. He didn't want anyone to know, he didn't want anyone to see him any differently. Nobody was supposed to know. He hated that he was in the position of being pregnant in the first place. He hated the way he looked, he hated how he felt - and now everyone knew his dark secret, the one thing they shouldn't have.

Jonathan stormed off to his room, slamming the door shut behind himself. He heard them talking, but he wasn't going to listen. He wasn't going to care. His family screwed this over. Now people knew, now Nancy knew. He was officially a freak of Hawkins; an anomaly. Tears streamed from his eyes as he sat on his bed. He couldn't go back out there and face everyone after they all knew what happened - who he actually is.

He laid on his bed and pulled his blankets over himself, even keeping his shoes on. He just wanted to be left alone, he needed time to process what just happened. As stated before, now everyone knew . . . it wasn't like he was going to keep it a secret forever. He wouldn't be able to, realistically. The fact that he's kept it all under wraps this long was a miracle. He wasn't huge, but you could definitely notice a weight gain. When people noticed, he would pass it off as eating more. The egg pressed a lot on his digestive tract, and gave him acid reflux, constipation - he was peeing way more than he did before.

He passed it off as so many things . . . but now they knew. He couldn't pass it off as anything anymore.

The door opened and a shadow appeared in the light seeping from the door.

" Jonathan ? "

It was his mom.

" Are you upset ? "

What did it looked like ? He was absolutely ecstatic, jovial, hyped up - he was so glad that his mom went out of her way to plan a baby shower for a parasite he didn't plan on keeping. He was so happy that his family told everyone that he was trying to hide this from that he was harboring an egg. He was leaping from joy !!

He turned to face her before slamming his face back into the bed. He wanted to just sink into the bed and disappear, be left alone. He never wanted anyone to talk to him again. He was so embarrassed, so hurt.

" We just wanted to do a nice thing for you, " Joyce said.

She sat down at the end of the bed, her hand rested on his calf.

" This isn't how we thought this would go, " she claimed. " We just wanted you to be happy, we wanted you to know that the egg was welcome, no matter what she looked like. "

" You don't understand, " he said. " This thing . . . it has a tail. It . . . looks like her. "

Joyce scooted closer to Jonathan. She placed her hand on her back. She bit the inside of her cheek and she nodded.

" You don't know how much I know, Jonathan, " she claimed. " I understand how much this hurts. "

" What are you talking about ? " Jonathan asked.

" There's something I didn't tell you, something nobody else besides a few people know, " Joyce said.

" Everyone knows that you hated being with dad, " he said. " That's different, mom. "

" No, not that, " Joyce said.

She rolled her head back and sighed. Joyce swallowed hard before looking to the cracked doorway.

" Lonnie isn't your dad, " she said. " One night, I went to a bar, and I got really tipsy, and a guy pretended like he was going to help me home but . . . that's not what happened. "

" What did happen ? " he asked.

" You, " Joyce replied. " You happened. "

Both were silent.

" Why do you think that you don't look like your brother ? " she asked.

His mom let off a laugh before putting her face in her hands. She sniffled and sighed, as if she were fighting back tears.

" I let Lonnie believe that you were his, because I knew he would blame me for letting it happen, " she explained. " I was so upset, so mad at myself. " 

Jonathan lifted himself up on his side, attempting to throw himself up so he could sit. His stomach weighed him down, and his hips were killing him. He settled on his elbow.

" It . . . it wasn't your fault, though, " he said. " You didn't do anything wrong. "

" You didn't do anything wrong either, " Joyce said. " Since the day you were in me, to now, you have never done anything wrong. "

Jonathan shrugged. If he didn't do something wrong, he wouldn't be this today. If he had fought back, if he had stopped Catastrophe for having her way with him. 

" I just want you to recognize, " she stopped. " When I held you for the first time, I had never held anything so perfect. You were beautiful, and amazing, and I knew you were going to do great. Nothing that happened to me happened because of you . . . I just want you to know that with this egg. The egg didn't ask for this, just like you didn't. "

She got up and she left, cracking the door behind her.

He laid back down, sprawling out on his bed. He stared at the dimly lit ceiling fan of his room. Jonathan knew he needed to get out there and either tell everyone to leave, or go out and celebrate.

" What are we gonna do, Egg ? " he asked. 

Of course he got no response, but this helped him feel less alone in the world. Even though his house was full of people, he still felt alone. Maybe, he just needed social interaction. This might be a good thing.

He threw his legs to the side of the bed, before he propped himself up on his elbow, before he finally lifted himself up on the bed. Jonathan rubbed his back and attempted to pop his hips into place, though that didn't work the way he had planned, considering they didn't. Jonathan lifted himself off the bed before he placed his hand on his stomach. Might as well give the people out there a show.

Jonathan went to his closet, pulling out one of his tighter fitting t - shirts. He rarely ever wore tight shirts anymore, but since everyone knew, they should know.

He unbuttoned his button up before tossing it into his overfilling laundry basket, before grabbing a white t - shirt and heading out the door.

He kept his hand on his stomach, as if to overpronounce his belly, but he was also six months into this. He began to walk into the dining room.

" Hey everyone, " he greeted. " I'm sorry for the way I entered. It's just . . . this is a hard thing, it's hard on me. "

" I could imagine, " Nancy said. " I mean, you're moody, and you're getting bigger. "

" Hah - hah, " he monotonously huffed. " You're hilarious. "

" Well, you are !! " Dustin exclaimed. " That thing must be the size of a watermelon !! "

Will elbowed Dustin in his side and shook his head.

" It's the size of a cantaloupe, " Jonathan said. " Which is not the same size of a watermelon. "

" I made steak, " Joyce announced. " Jonathan, yours is raw, so the egg will agree with it. "

" Thanks mom, " he said.

" Alright, everyone, come serve yourselves, " she said. " Plates are at the beginning of the line, we have mashed potatoes, macaroni, and corn on the cob. "

" What do you guys have to drink ? " Steve asked.

" I'll have water, if you would show me to the cups, " his girlfriend said.

" Follow me, " Joyce said.

Everyone began to form a line through the kitchen, but Will stopped him from joining the line.

" You can go sit down, " he said. " I'll get your plate. "

" You sure ? " Jonathan asked.

" Yeah, " Will claimed. " I got it. You're the man of the hour. "

Jonathan went to the couch before maneuvering himself to sit down comfortably. He need a pillow to put behind his back, something. He pulled a blanket from off the back of the couch, before rolling it into a makeshift pillow he pushed behind himself. It wasn't the best, but it was better than nothing.

Soon, a few of the kids joined him in the living room, along with Nancy. Dustin sat right next to him, and he means, right next to him. He stared in awe at Jonathan's stomach, but honestly, who wouldn't ?

" Can I touch it ? " Dustin asked.

" You're not going to feel anything, " Jonathan said. " You're really just touching me. "

Will soon joined them, handing Jonathan his plate.

" Stop trying to touch him, " Will said. 

" But it's a beautiful thing !! " Max argued.

" It's cool !! " Lucas added.

" It doesn't really kick, " Jonathan explained. " Or . . . do much, besides make me nauseated, and get in the way. "

" It's weird, " Will said. " He barely even lets me touch him. "

" Someone's jealous, " Lucas teased.

" I'm not !! " Will argued.

" I'm gonna touch it !! " Dustin teased.

" Actually, I'm gonna touch it first. " Nancy stated.

She reached forward and placed her hand on Jonathan's stomach. She lightly rubbed along his shirt, attempting to feel any sort of movement.

Jonathan balanced the paper plate on his stomach, lifting the raw steak off of the plate before placing it in his mouth. He took a bite from it, leaning back and allowing people to put their hands on him.

" Isn't it magical ? " Nancy asked. " El, come here and feel. "

" Why does she get to go next ? " Will asked.

" Ladies first, genius, " Max claimed.

El got up from her place next to Mike, before putting her hand on his stomach.

" So it's an alien egg ? " El asked.

" Yeah, " Jonathan said. " Pretty much. "

" Bitchin' " she stated.

El leaned forward, close to his stomach, watching intently, as if something were supposed to happen. It never occurred to Jonathan that this was probably the first time Eleven has seen someone like this, and not just a pregnant guy, but a pregnant person, up close.

" Hello, " she greeted. " I'm El; short for Eleven. "

" Hey, Jenny, " Nancy called to the kitchen.

Steve's girlfriend poked her head from the kitchen.

" Yeah, Nancy ? " she asked.

" You wanna come feel Jonathan's belly ? " Nancy asked.

" I get to touch it too ? " the other girl asked.

" Everyone does, I guess, " Jonathan claimed. " Steve, you want to too ? "

" I guess, " Steve said.

The young couple left the kitchen before joining everyone in the living room. Jenny leaned down next to Eleven, before placing her hand on his stomach.

" Wow, how cool, " Jenny said. " I want a baby someday. "

You could see the quick look of panic rise upon Steve before he grabbed ahold of her shoulder.

" Not anytime soon, right ? " he asked.

" Maybe when you're not working at a video store, " Jenny claimed. " But after that ? "

" Let's take it one step at a time, " Steve said.

" Can they hear me ? " Eleven asked.

" I don't think they can hear anything, " Jonathan said. " Can't even respond to music. "

" Maybe they just think your music taste is lame, " Nancy teased. " Y'know, how kids do ? "

Jonathan rolled his eyes and shook his head before smiling. Yeah, maybe. Maybe the lab might have ' better ' music, but she didn't even like The Clash. Maybe it was the egg's taste in music that was ' totally lame '.

" They're not moving, " El stated.

Jonathan shook his head.

" Maybe they're sleeping ? " Jenny claimed.

El let go of Jonathan's stomach before walking over to Mike, who handed her a plate of food. She sat next to him before he put his arm around her.

" They're sleeping, " she claimed.

Nancy let go of Jonathan's stomach, but Jenny placed Steve's hand on his stomach in place of hers.

" Jesus, " Steve shuttered. " This is so weird. "

" How do you think I feel ? " Jonathan asked. " I have to wake up and live with this shit. "

" Isn't it weird to see this in the morning ? " Steve asked.

" You know what's weird; " Jonathan asked. " I can't see my dick anymore. "

The screen door opened, and Jonathan assumed Hopper and his mom were outside.

" Jonathan, what are you talking about in there ? " his mom asked.

" Nothing, " he called back.

The screen door shut again, and the adults were off his back.

" How do you aim ? " Mike asked.

" Very carefully, " Jonathan said.

" Whatever, " Will said.

" I never said I always made it in, " Jonathan said.

" Gross, " Steve said. " Jen, would you kick my ass if I missed the toilet ? "

" Definitely, " his girlfriend replied. " Especially if I sat in your piss. "

" What if I were in this situation ? " Steve asked.

" Figure it out, " his girlfriend teased.

Steve pouted before retracting his hand from Jonathan's stomach.

" You wanna touch, Max ? " Nancy asked.

" . . . No, " Max replied. " I think I'll pass. "

" I thought you were the one that said it was ' beautiful ' ? " Mike asked.

" Now that I think about it, yeah, " Dustin teased. " You did say that. "

" I don't know, I've never really touched a person's stomach like this - " she started.

" Touch it, touch it, touch it - " Will started chanting.

The others, minus Jonathan, began to join in with the chanting, attempting to coax Max into joining the fun.

" Why is this some sort of game to you guys ? " Jonathan interrupted. " It's my stomach, and if Max doesn't feel comfortable, then she doesn't have to. This is weird, and it's fine if she thinks it's weird too. "

" Thanks, Jonathan, " Max said.

" Now, Dustin, Lucas, " Jonathan said. " Do you want to touch it or not ? " 

Lucas shook his head while Dustin instantly planted his hand against Jonathan's stomach.

" This is the coolest thing I have ever done, " Dustin claimed. " Jeez, that egg is huge. "

Jonathan planted his hand on Dustin's stomach too.

" So's your stomach, " Jonathan said. " You hook up with Catastrophe too ? "

" No, " Dustin said. " But there was a beauty named ' Hamantha '. "

" That was sick, " Will exclaimed. " Don't ever bring up Hamantha again. "

The kids started laughing and looking at eachother, covering their mouths, attempting to hide their little inside joke.

" What's Hamantha ? " Jonathan asked.

" You don't want to know. " Will simply stated.

It was obviously an inside joke nobody else except for the kids would know. All Jonathan could hope is that it wasn't anything illegal, or too embarrassing for Will's future family to find out one day.


	8. *•.¸📷 sσldíєrs 📷¸.•*

February Seventeenth, Nineteen Eighty - Eight

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

[ OFFICE NAME WITHHELD ]

📷

Jonathan was basically a walking blimp at this point, but still kept his figure concealed from the Hawkins populous with big coats, maternity coats that his mom wore. He was meeting with the scientists from Maine; cryptozoologists. They specialized in situations that involved unconfirmed supernatural beings, like Catastrophe, like this egg, Bigfoot, demogorgons - all of that.

He was sitting in an office, waiting for these scientists to greet him. He had his ultrasounds, as proof. This egg was unresponsive, and basically a separate thing from him. He barely ever referred to it as a living being . . . detachment. It was going to make this easier.

Two men entered the room, carrying clipboards. They looked very professional, like secret agents. It wouldn't be the first time the government tried to cover up the weird shit in Hawkins. This was also some pretty weird shit.

" Mister Byers, " the first of the two greeted. " I'm Doctor Lowen, cryptozoologist; and this is my partner Doctor Beck. I've been told that you're harboring an egg that you want to give for research ? "

Jonathan took off the coat and hung it on the chair behind himself. He presented his stomach to them and bit the inside of his cheek.

" You think ? " he asked.

" That is . . . quite some bump you have there, " Doctor Beck commented. " This is the egg ? "

Jonathan nodded.

" This is the egg, it will probably detatch in about six weeks, " Jonathan explained. " At least, that's what we're hoping. I can't continue on with this thing. "

" Are you sure that you want to get rid of this egg permenantly ? " Doctor Lowen asked. " Once it's ours, you're not getting it back. We've had parents try to get their children back after all; have you heard of the Terry Ives case ? "

A fog sat in his mind, because he was trying to seal himself off, act like a little robot, so it wouldn't hurt so much when . . . when he had to say goodbye. He forgot a lot of things, but the name sounded familiar. Maybe he heard it over the radio, or saw it in a newspaper. It was a long time ago, and he wasn't going to dwell on it.

" No, " Jonathan replied. " But I'm sure that I don't want it. "

" Strong man you are, " Doctor Lowen complimented. " I'm guessing those pregnancy hormones never settled in ? "

Try telling that to his first trimester morning sickness, his constant irritation and frequent urination, his joint pain and his facial hair. All of them were there. It truly had been an emotional rollercoaster, but he needed to forget about that now. Now it was the time to focus, and do what he had planned on. He needed to get through this; this meeting was the hard part. Birth didn't seem that hard, not in comparison to this.

Sure, he was going to get sliced open and shit, but he was going to heal from that in a few weeks. Emotions had a funny way of doing this thing where they sneak up on you at the worst times. He could actually feel good about his decision before feeling . . . horrible. He wouldn't feel that way about a c - section. The c - section was an easy choice, because he had no other one. This was not easy, because he could be getting rid of a monster . . . or he could be losing his daughter. What kind of - no, he had to be emotionless for once in his life, cut off from this egg, from whatever was inside.

" Let's just focus on the subject at hand, " Jonathan said. " I have the ultrasounds, and if you need any clothes and stuff, I got them; when am I going to need to sign the papers ? "

" When they remove the egg, and take it to do whatever they need to, check to see if it hatched, if it's viable - " Doctor Beck paused. " When they are doing a checkup on it, we'll come in, and you can sign the papers, if you're feeling well enough. "

" How does a thousand dollars sound ? " Doctor Lowen said. " A thousand dollars and this egg will be out of your life. "

" You could take a nice cruise, or get a massage, " Doctor Beck recommended. 

" I could get into NYU on a scholarship, " Jonathan realized. " I could get out of Hawkins and actually do something with my life. "

" That too, " Doctor Beck agreed. " We promise you that this will be the best decision you have made in your entire life. "

Would it ? Snap out of it; it would. He could go to NYU, and he could actually meet a girl his type, and be out of everyone's life for awhile. He could become the person he's always wanted to be. His life could be amazing. It was going to be amazing.

" I can agree, " Jonathan said.

Jonathan pulled the ultrasound pictures out of his pocket, before handing them to Doctor Lowen.

" This thing has a tail, Beck !! " Doctor Lowen exclaimed.

" This is a great find !! " Doctor Beck agreed.

" You've got yourself one hell of a deal, Mister Byers. "

Both doctors picked up their things before leaving.

Jonathan stood from the chair and watched them leave.

" So that's it ? " he asked.

" Yes, sir, " Doctor Beck stated.

" We'll see you when we get the call, " Doctor Lowen added.

The door shut before they left Jonathan in the office alone. He picked up his jacket and shrugged it back onto his body before buttoning it up. He left the office and went back out to his car.

He looked around the car, seeing Orange Julius cups in the cup holders, butcher papers on the floor, another ultrasound of the egg, bags of halfeaten French fries, empty bottles of vitamins. He needed to clean his car out soon, but he was just too big to do it right now . . . soon.

He started the car before looking in his rear view mirror. A drive sounded nice right about now. His head was foggy, and he just needed some alone time. He just did a big thing. It was going to be the best decision he's ever made . . . why did he feel this way ?

He opened the middle console of his car, pulling out an old mixtape he had jammed in there. He put it into his radio, before pulling out of the office parking lot.

He watched the road, and the trees allowed for some light to spill in between the cracks of the branches. It was peaceful, it was quiet, all except for the low hum of the Bee Gees' " Stayin' Alive " playing on the radio. It was nice.

He didn't feel right still, but he was simply pushing those thoughts to the back. The ambient setting was perfect for crushing those pesky emotions. He could cry about it all later.

The forest was beautiful. It was a thing Jonathan found beautiful, because the forest was always tranquil, with beautiful trees that spanned for miles. The air was always fresh, and the animals were always so at home. He could clear his mind while being in the forest, and besides going hunting with Lonnie; his memories were always good. Taking his first nature shot, building Castle Byers with Will, going on hikes with Nancy. The forest was a beautiful place.

It would be nice to show his kids the Hawkins forest, a place he called home. What was this egg going to see in the lab ? Would it really matter ?

People like Catastrophe deserved to be in a lab. What if Catastrophe wasn't in a lab ? What if she were raised in a place that had actual love and actual care ? Would she have been different ?

She was a monster by nature, of course. It was like she couldn't help the bloodthirsty nature of herself, and this egg probably won't be able to either. Jonathan couldn't handle having to keep a thing that knew no better than bear or wolf in control. This egg could turn on him at any given moment, it could rip him to shreds, or it could do something to hurt or kill Will and his mom. How was he going to bring a weapon with a mind of it's own into his house ? How could he put his family in harm's way ?

This thing had no emotion, it never responded to music, never responded to talking, never responded to light, never responded to movement. It was nothing more than a monster. It was a parasite living off of him. This thing did not have feelings, it didn't have spirit. It wasn't human.

It wasn't bad to get rid of a monster and give it to people that are experienced in taking care of them. He was just doing the right thing; the smart thing. 

The song finally ended and The Clash's " Should I Stay Or Should I Go ? " began to play.

Jonathan bopped his head to the beat. He forgot that this song was on this mixtape. It was from when he first heard the song. It was one of his favorites because it was such a happy song to him. The lyrics were fun, and the beat was freeing. Maybe a happy song was what he needed right now.

Tap.

He looked down at his stomach. Maybe he just hit a bump in the road. There were rocks scattered across the asphalt, so it was likely. He ignored it and continued driving.

Tap.

He looked down at his stomach again. He couldn't possibly be hungry. He just ate before he went to his meeting. Maybe it was has; Jonathan tried to force a burp to come out of his throat, building pressure in his stomach that he attempted to force out. Finally a burp came from him . . . that was easy.

Tap.

He pulled over and stopped the car, allowing the radio to play. He leaned his chair back and adjusted himself in his seat. He turned the volume up on his radio and focused on his stomach.

Tap.

It was moving, it was kicking. Why was it doing that ? It never did that before. Why was it doing that ? Why now ?

" Really, now ? " he asked. " You have to do this right now ? "

He was frustrated by the fact that he was driving . . . but he was more frustrated that it was moving. It was like it was making him feel bad for it. It was just like Catastrophe. He never wanted to feel bad for that bitch when she died, but there he was, pitying the person that hurt him; pitying this egg.

What was it trying to do to his head ?

" Why would you fucking do this now ? " he demanded.

It wasn't like the egg could answer, it wasn't like it was trying to move and squirm to hurt Jonathan; but of course, it didn't know how much it was hurting him.

" You had all this time - the first appointment, the second, the tenth, " He started. " The baby shower, any other time; but you chose right now ? How could you do this ? "

It just wanted to dance.

" I can't believe you, " he huffed. " Incredible, just fucking incredible. "

He laid back in his car, placing his head in his hands. He felt the tears brimming his eyes, slipping down his face. His heart was pounding, because it was moving. It was responding, it was alive, it was too late.

Tap.

He turned the radio off. He couldn't even listen to his favorite song because of this stupid thing. Why would it choose now ? Was it really the egg that was stupid . . . or was he the stupid one ? Everything was. Everything was stupid.

The egg stopped moving, stopped responding.

" What ? You're pissed off now ? " he asked. " The real world sucks, now deal with it like the rest of us. "

Jonathan sat up in his seat, pressing his head against the steering wheel. What was he doing ? Why was he so mad ? What was wrong with him ?

Everything. Everything that could be wrong with him, was. It was like . . . Murphy's law ( or that's what he thought it was called ). Everything that could go wrong, would go wrong. Everything was going wrong. Everything was just wrong, wrong, wrong.

Why did it have to be this way ?

If things were different, this whole baby thing could've been beautiful, but it was so ugly. If this were ten years in the future, and he were married, settled down with Nancy, and this were their first kid, conceived out of love; it would be different. They would've had a little boy that Jonathan could've taught and raised right, because he knew what he was doing. He knew how to take pictures, be a gentleman, shave his face ( even though it didn't look like it ), and he finally, finally figured out how to tie a tie.

Instead, he was stuck, with a baby conceived by a power play that he lost, and connected to a person he hated with every fiber of his being. He couldn't even keep the thing inside; he refused to. He couldn't wake up and face a monster every single morning. Even though he wanted a little girl, he didn't know where to begin with raising one.

How was he supposed to teach her to braid her hair ? How could he get her all dressed up and pretty ? If she came home, heartbroken by a boy; what was he going to say . . . do ?

He was pathetic as a father, and that was probably why he was so against having a child. Nancy was right. She had every reason to doubt him, and his expertise. He had no clue what he was doing. He doubt he could learn too. It was all just too late . . . and these feelings were getting in the way. These feelings were going to be the death of him, and he wished he could just get rid of it all. Then maybe he wouldn't feel this way . . . he wouldn't feel at all.

Jonathan shuttered and trembled in pain, disgust, anger, sadness . . . he was crying but he had never felt more numb in his life. He knew he needed to stop crying, it wasn't going to solve anything. He already fixed the problem, he did the right thing. He wasn't qualified, and he was just handing this to someone smarter than him that knew exactly what they were doing. They would be better off this way, he would be.

" Look kid, you don't want to know me. All I'm going to do is mess you up even worse than I was, " he stated.

Why was he talking to this damn thing ? It didn't hear him or even care enough to understand.

" It's better this way, " he said. " I don't know what I'm doing and . . . the fact that I'm a failure - the fact that I'm a screw up shouldn't be your fault. "

Maybe if it never felt love, it would never actually be messed up, because it didn't know what it was missing. It would never suspect anything was wrong because it would never know the better side.

He needed to stop loving it, so he wouldn't hurt anymore.


	9. *•.¸📷 cαlífσrnícαtíσn 📷¸.•*

February Twenty - Eighth, Nineteen Eighty - Eight

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

The Byers Residence

📷

Jonathan hadn't slept well since the day in the car. It was getting closer to time and he had to put up with this stupid thing moving, and abdominal pain. He was wearing his sweats, it was one in the morning, and he couldn't sleep. Jonathan braced the counter with his hands, and he was dripping with sweat. He swayed his hips back and forth. He assumed it was because he was due for his surgery on the nineteenth of March. It was rather close.

They were all packed and ready, with a hospital bag packed. His life would be normal, and it would all be over soon. He could get back to his daily grind, he could leave Hawkins for New York, like he always wanted to.

Tension was building in his thighs and he flipped to his back, before sliding down onto the floor. His breaths were shaky, because a dull pain was vibrating through his body. It was frequent, and couldn't really be relieved. He was going to be okay. He was humming, attempting to coax himself into feeling better.

Everything just hurt.

He sat, wheezing on the floor or the kitchen floor. Tears flowed down his face, and he felt a bubbling in his stomach. He ignored it. The pain was normal to him at this point. He continued to hum, and moderate his groans.

" Jonathan ? "

It was his mom.

" Where are you ? "

" Kitchen. " he stated.

He couldn't really speak through the pain. He groaned again at the feeling of another wave. That hurt.

" What are you doing on the floor ? " she asked. " Can I join you ? "

Joyce sat on the floor next to him before putting her hand on his shoulder. She placed another hand on his forehead, beginning to rock him in her arms.

" You're sweating a lot, Jonathan, " she stated. " Are you feeling okay ? "

" It hurts, " he claimed. " Like my stomach, it just . . . hurts. "

" How ? " Joyce asked. " Stomachache or something else ? "

" Just hurts. " he said.

Jonathan leaned back, arching his back. His stomach burned, on the inside. It felt like he was melting from the inside. Maybe it was just the egg preparing and detaching from him. This was a good thing in that aspect, then it will be gone, out of his life.

Joyce placed her hand on his stomach and was able to actually press in on Jonathan's stomach; not by much, but it was softer than it had been.

" Your stomach is soft, " she explained. " Do you think the shell gets soft when it's closer to time ? Kind of like a hard boiled egg ? "

Jonathan shrugged and groaned quietly again. He sighed afterwards. This was one of the worst pains he had felt, but on the more optimistic side, it would be over within a few weeks.

He then felt something . . . what the fuck ? He lifted his backside off the floor, seeing that a puddle formed under him. Whatever came out was warm, and it . . . burned. He lifted himself from off the floor.

" Mom, turn the lights on, " he said.

Joyce got up from the tile before going to the light switch.

" What is it ? " she asked.

" Mom, are my pants red ? " he asked.

Jonathan leaned forward, bracing the counter again. His pants were definitely wet, but he needed to know if he was bleeding, because if he was bleeding, that could've . . . maybe it was time.

" Jonathan, are you bleeding ? " Joyce asked. " We need to get you to the hospital. Go shower before we head over. I'll get everything into the car, and try to get a hold of Will. "

Jonathan nodded before going to the bathroo. He stripped out of his sweatpants before turning the water on to shower. He got in the shower before quickly washing off. It felt better to get the blood off of him, but it was so weird.

It was weird looking at his stomach, realizing that this was going to quite possibly be the last time that the egg was going to be there. At least he'd be able to see his junk again, that was a plus.

He took a quick utilitarian shower before getting out. He checked the mirror to see if he should shave . . . he was fine. His facial hair wasn't to the point of being gross, and all that meant was less time until they were at the hospital.

He took a towel that he wrapped around his waist before heading to his bedroom. He pulled out a sweater along with a pair of jeans that he changed into. He pulled a pair of socks from his top drawer, before sitting on his bed. Jonathan put his left foot crossed onto his right knee before pulling the sock on his foot, then repeating with the right sock on his left foot. He stood before putting his slippers that Mike and Nancy got him at the baby shower on.

A new development happened, he actually felt movement, not just tapping, but movement in his stomach. Maybe his mom was right, the eggshell was thin, so the stupid thing inside could come out.

It truly was time.

He exited his room, where his mom was at the phone.

" Yes, your brother's going in for surgery, " Joyce said into the phone. " Why would I be telling you this as a joke, Will ? He's actually going the hospital right now. "

" Mom, I'm ready, " Jonathan said.

He braced against the wall and groaned again. He felt his knees weaken, causing him to slide down the wall slightly. He wanted once the wave of pain finished.

" We'll see you in a little bit, Will, " she said.

His mom hung up the phone, picking up a duffel bag that Jonathan had packed a week prior. The only thing he needed out of it was his change of clothes for when he left, the rest was shit they needed to give to Doctor Lowen and Doctor Beck.

Joyce came to him and allowed him to lean on her shoulder. She escorted him out the front door before tossing the bag into the backseat.

" Are you feeling okay ? " Joyce asked.

" Besides the fact that it feels like a chainsaw going off in my stomach, " he panted. " I'm doing pretty good. "

That was still a lie. He was anxious of the events yet to come; some days he was okay with it all, he was okay with giving away the egg, he barely even thought about it . . . but as soon as he was alone for long enough, he would break down and cry, doubting himself, knowing he would never be good enough. It was a losing battle no matter what he did.

" How far apart have they been ? " his mom asked.

" I don't know, " Jonathan said. " All I know is that it's one in the morning, and I wish I was asleep. "

Jonathan groaned as he pressed his back to the chair and his feet against the floor. He arched his back as he felt the waver of stinging pain through his body.

" Okay, it's one fourty - seven, " Joyce said. " Let me know when the next one is. "

Jonathan nodded. He looked at the window, at the stars in the sky, at the moon passing by. This would be so life - changing if he were to keep this thing, but after the next two and a half days, everything will go back to normal. Jonathan was so used to this, he barely even knew what normal felt like. All he knew is that he craved it, he wanted to be normal again.

Then he would have enough money to go to NYU, for a degree in the fine arts. He could meet a girl that had never met him and shared the same interests as him. He could start over and do things normal people did, like not fight supernatural monsters or have a government experiment have its way with him. He could go and eat sushi, and drink coffee at diners while it was dark outside. He could experience life for how it should been.

Tension built again, causing Jonathan to cringe and writhe in pain. Another one. He grabbed his mom's hand on the gear shift, squeezing it.

" One fifty - one, four minutes apart, " Joyce said. " They're getting close. "

Jonathan relaxed once this contraction was over. It was like an alarm was going off in his body, screaming at him to get this stupid thing out. He wholeheartedly agreed; the quicker it was out, the better.

" Mom ? " he asked.

" Yeah, Jonathan ? " his mom replied.

" Do you think I'm making a mistake ? " he asked. " Do you think that giving this egg away - do you think that this is one big screw up ? "

" Is the egg a screw up or is putting it up for adoption a screw up ? " his mom asked.

" Whatever, " he answered.

" I don't think that the egg was a screw up; because that egg didn't ask to be alive at all, " she said. " And I don't think you're messing up for giving it away. You're doing what's best for you right now, and you're still young. You have a lot of time to go out and get girls, do young person stuff. "

Was having a girlfriend really all that great, though ?

Another contraction. Jonathan tensed and groaned through the pain, rocking his hips in his seat. Swaying his hips helped soothe the pain of the contractions, but nothing could soothe the burning inside. Hopefully this was just a short term thing.

The pain from the contractions was causing him to feel nauseous, and he felt like he could puke at any given moment. This was like a stomach flu, plus being squished between two walls.

" They're four minutes apart, " Joyce said. " This egg's coming out today, Jonathan. "

He nodded before relaxing again. Back to his train of thought; was having a girlfriend all that great though ? When he was with Nancy, it was fun, but . . . he didn't feel as if he enjoyed it as much as he should've. After awhile, nothing really felt . . . enjoyable. It was just like doing all this romantic stuff for the sake of doing romantic stuff. He felt better when they were just friends, he felt okay with that. But he didn't want to venture into another relationship where he wasn't going to feel what he was supposed to feel. He was tired of feeling like he was simply broken.

They finally pulled into the parking lot, before Joyce got out of the car and got the duffel bag from the back seat. The door opened on Jonathan's side, allowing cool air to flow into the car, and he shivered. He took his mom's hand before she helped him out of the car.

His arm wrapped around her shoulders and they began to walk into the hospital, and towards the maternity ward. Nobody was in the waiting room, thankfully. They approached the front desk, where there was a woman working.

" Mister Byers, " she said. " Your c - section is scheduled for next month, what are you doing here ? "

" It's gonna have to be today, " he said. " I'm bleeding, and this thing is moving a lot. I think it's time. "

" We're going to have to call Doctor Gibson, because her shift doesn't start for another four hours, " the woman said. " But we can get you settled into a room, and get you your epidural. "

Jonathan and Joyce walked to the door, but they held Joyce back at the door.

" M'am, we're going to need you to stay out here, " the receptionist said.

" She's my mom, " Jonathan replied. " Let her come. "

He leaned over to a counter and swayed his hips again, hissing out breaths. Another contraction. These things were bordering annoying at this point. If they could stop and he didn't have to feel it, that would be amazing.

They allowed for Joyce to follow them before they were lead to a operating room. The receptionist grabbed a hospital gown, as well as a set of paper scrubs for Joyce.

" We're going to need you both to scrub up, " the receptionist said. " It's for sanitary reasons. " 

" Face the window, " Jonathan said.

" Jonathan, I used to bathe you, " Joyce said. " There's nothing you have that I haven't seen already. "

" Mom, " Jonathan groaned. " Can you just face the wall ? "

Joyce turned around, pulling the green scrubs over her clothes. She looked in the mirror and attempted not to laugh at the reflection of Jonathan trying to get dressed in the hospital gown.

" Need help back there ? " she asked.

" I got it, " he replied.

" Doesn't look like you got it, " she replied.

" Are you looking in the window ? " he asked. " Look away !! "

" Okay, " she laughed.

He sat back on the hospital bed, tugging his jeans off, along with his boxers. That was hard enough. The easy part was getting the hospital gown on, since he had done it so many times already. Once he was changed, he laid back on the hospital bed. He picked up the scrubs cap he was provided, before he put it on his head too.

" Hey mom, " he asked. " Do you see a trash can anywhere ? I feel like I'm gonna vomit. "

His mom let off a quick ' uhm ' before looking around the room. Once she found the trash can, she brought it to Jonathan and placed it on his chest.

Another contraction. He held his head into the trash can as he shivered through groaning. He picked his head up when he heard the door open and two people, male and female, came in.

" Hello, Mister Byers, " the woman said. " We're going to be administering your meds today, so we're going to need you to lay on your side, and stay very still. "

Jonathan rolled to his side, allowing his back to be exposed. He held his hand out to his mom, in which she squeezed his hand.

" Should I have let Nancy know too ? " she asked.

" Now's not the time for questions, " he said. " They're shoving a needle in my back. "

His mom nodded and bit her lips.

He hissed at the pinch that fell to his back, but the sensation was over rather quick. He sighed once he felt the needle leave his spine. His lower body felt a little numb . . . a little stingy.

They helped him roll back over, and he sighed as he looked at the ceiling. This was okay . . . not great, but okay.

" How are you feeling ? " his mom asked.

Jonathan simply nodded before rubbing the bridge of his nose. Everything was about to go back to normal, it was all going to be good again. That was what he needed to focus on right now.

" Jonathan, is that you ? "

" In here, Doctor Gibson, " he called.

She drew the curtain and raised her arms.

" Today's the day !! " she exclaimed.

" Today's the day, " Jonathan confirmed. " Jesus, what is in this medicine ? "

" We haven't even gotten you on the pain meds yet, " Doctor Gibson responded. " My nurse was right behind me. "

Soon an older woman came behind her, with an I.V drip and a tray of medical supplies.

" So, Jonathan, is this your mother ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

" Yeah, " he replied. " This is the great Joyce Byers. "

The nurse came over and took Jonathan's arm, before disinfecting his wrist. Surprisingly, she got the I.V in on the first try, taping it onto his wrist. It was an odd feeling, a little itchy, but he can deal with it.

" It's wonderful to meet you, Miss Byers, " Doctor Gibson greeted. " It's nice to see that Jonathan has a good support system. "

" Thank you, " Joyce answered. " I'm just glad that he let me in and allowed me to help him. "

" How are you feeling, Jonathan ? " Doctor Gibson asked. 

Jonathan gave a thumbs up. Now was the time, and he was starting to get a little foggy.


	10. *•.¸📷 shσuld í stαч σr shσuld í gσ ? 📷¸.•*

February Twenty - Eighth, Nineteen Eighty - Eight

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

Hawkins Memorial Medical Center

📷

Jonathan felt one last prick along his waist and he hissed. He blinked, looking around. What did he say ? He barely could remember a damn thing. He felt his bed be lifted, and his waist was being pressed on.

" What happened ? " he asked.

" You did it, Jonathan, " his mom said. " It's out. "

" It's out ? " he asked.

He looked down, and his stomach was flatter. It still wasn't flat, but flatter. It was like he had a lot of loose skin, but it was gone. The egg was gone. He looked to the side, and there were nurses observing this bloody, weird . . . sack under a heat lamp. It squirmed and moved.

Was that what was inside him ? At least he was getting rid of it . . . right ?

" You did it, Jonathan, " Doctor Gibson said. " Doctor Beck and Doctor Lowen are right outside. "

" Good riddance, " he said.

Jonathan leaned back on the bed, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the thing. Then . . . something amazing happened. The sack tore slightly.

" Doctor, " a nurse called. " It's breaking open. "

" It's what ? " Doctor Gibson asked.

She ran over to the heat lamp and saw that the sack was punctured.

" Open it, " she said.

The nurses peeled back the sack, revealing what looked to be a baby. The baby had a scaly, scorpion like tail . . . but the baby looked exactly like a human baby besides all of that.

" Jonathan, " Doctor Gibson called. " It's a girl, I was right. "

He was silent, as he watched the baby stretch out. His heart began to pound, as he began to expect the worst. That thing was going to get up and kill something, like Catastrophe would've. It's helplessness was just a facade for it to get close. It didn't cry, it simply stretched.

A nurse grabbed a towel and a mucus sucker before leaning in to clean the thing up.

Jonathan's breathing picked up. Something bad was going to happen once it woke up and started breathing. It couldn't have been this small and vulnerable . . . could it ? It was the product of a monster, it was this hellish abomination.

He expected it to growl, or hiss; he was waiting for bloodshed. That's what something like Catastrophe would've bred for.

A nurse began to get the blood and gross junk off of it, warming it up. It was like watching a bomb being dismantled.

" It's heart's beating, " Doctor Gibson claimed.

" What do you think is going to happen, Jonathan ? " his mom asked.

" Shh, " he hushed. " We can't let it know we're here. It could kill us. "

" Jonathan, look at her, " Joyce said. " She can't do anything to us. "

Jonathan looked away, he didn't want to remember her face, he didn't want to remember this scene. He just wanted this to be over. He said his goodbye. It was all done.

The thing started coughing and gasping for air.

Then Doctor Gibson opened the door, allowing for Doctor Lowen and Doctor Beck to come in, with a briefcase that contained money.

He peeked over his shoulder, to watch as Doctor Lowen leaned over the incubation crib.

" Aren't you a beauty ? " he asked.

The way he said it - it just . . . it bothered Jonathan. It was so husky, so intimidating. What were they going to do to that thing ?

Sending it to a lab seemed like an amazing idea. That just meant that it would be out of the way. They could take care of it and control it. But the emotionlessness of both the cryptozoologists didn't . . . it wasn't right. Was that what Catastrophe experienced ? Was that why that thing's father was so messed up ?

They hurt Catastrophe. On her neck were scars from shock collar burns, holes on her arms from being injected with various science juices. Catastrophe was out of her fucking mind, and it was that lab's fault.

It wasn't Jonathan's problem anymore. It couldn't have been, he just needed to stick to the plan and get it over with.

Then . . . it cried. She cried. The thing cried.

Jonathan expected for it to sound like a monster, like some thing that was going to fight back against humanity; but it cried like a helpless, sweet baby.

Jonathan rolled back over and sat up beforw hissing to himself, groaning. Those stitches fucking hurt. He clutched his stomach, but continued to sit up.

" Give her to me. " he said.

" What ? " Doctor Gibson asked. " But, Jonathan you said you wanted to - "

" And now I'm saying to give her to me, " he argued. " Let me hold my daughter. "

" Mister Byers, you already promise us that you were going to - " Doctor Beck started.

" Jonathan, what are you doing ? " his mom asked.

" I don't care what I said, " Jonathan stated. " I want her right now, give me my baby. "

Doctor Gibson picked up the baby and began to walk over to Jonathan.

" Doctor, don't let him get attached, " Doctor Lowen said. " He's already promised us the monster. "

" I didn't promise jack shit, " Jonathan claimed. " Give her to me, Doctor. "

Doctor Gibson turned and looked back and forth between the two parties that wanted the baby.

The baby continued to squeal and cry in the arms of Doctor Gibson.

" You said you were going to sign the papers today, " Doctor Beck said. " We brought the money and everything. "

" Give us the baby, " Joyce defended. " Jonathan's the baby's parent, and he changed his mind. "

" But your son said he didn't want this thing, " Doctor Lowen argued. " He said that he was going to give it to us. "

" Give me the goddamn baby !! " Jonathan snapped. " Or I'll get up and get her myself. "

He hooked his legs on the side of the bed before scooting to the side.

" Jonathan !! " Doctor Gibson exclaimed. " You're gonna hurt yourself, sit down. "

Jonathan began to lift himself off the bed, the pain shooting through his body. His legs stung with numbness, as if they were asleep, but he knew he had to get up.

Joyce stood and grabbed Jonathan by the shoulders.

" Jonathan !! " she exclaimed. " You just got done with some really dramatic surgery; sit !! "

He took a step before shuttering from the pain. It was like his steps were shuffling, but he needed to get to his baby, before those assholes could take her away from him.

" Doctor Gibson, Jonathan signed a contract with us, " Doctor Beck explained. " We have it here, in writing. "

" I didn't sign that shit yet !! " he exclaimed.

" If he signed this contract that you're going on about - " Joyce began. " Then bring it out. "

Doctor Gibson turned and began tk walk backwards towards Jonathan, as the baby wiggled and wailed in her arms.

" Yeah, if you guys don't have proof that Jonathan signed this contract, " Doctor Gibson started. " Then this baby is still Jonathan's and he could do what he pleases with it. "

" We'll pay you, " Doctor Lowen said. " We can give you a lot of government money of you hand us the baby, Doctor Gibson. "

" No amount of money is going to stop me from doing my job, " Doctor Gibson bluntly stated. " Show me the contract or it's no dice. "

Doctor Lowen began to search for the folder containing the contract, or at least pretended to look for the contract, and Doctor Beck did the same.

Joyce began to rummage through the duffel bag, looking for something.

Jonathan looked over his shoulder to see that his mom was loading a few bullets into a gun, before hiding the revolver back in the bag. Her fingers were still on it, if the cryptozoologists attempted to try anything.

" Seems we can't find it, " Doctor Beck said.

Both doctors began to pack up their things before Doctor Lowen swiftly turned and hooked one of the nurses in the cheek.

Doctor Gibson gasped, tumbling backwards, causing Jonathan to fall back on the bed. Before Jonathan could even say a word or open his eyes, a pain shot through his body and he let off a shout. Doctor Beck pinned Jonathan to the bed.

The baby continued to cry, as Doctor Gibson curled protectively over the baby, scooting towards the wall.

Joyce stood, pulling the gun out of the bag, before aiming it at Doctor Beck's head.

Doctor Beck flipped over and held Jonathan head in a chokehold. Jonathan gasped in the grasp of him, attempting to wiggle out.

" If you shoot, Miss Byers; you're gonna take us both out. "

Joyce lowered the gun, seeing Jonathan attempting to fight back. She knew he was too weak, too vulnerable. She didn't have an opportunity to shoot, and she was outnumbered.

Doctor Lowen hovered over Doctor Gibson, holding his hands out for the screaming baby. The room was silent, other than the cry of the baby's panic.

" You can't win, " Doctor Beck stated. " Just give that stupid thing up, and we'll be on our way. "

Jonathan attempted to lift his leg, so he could swing back and kick Doctor Beck, but he couldn't. He wasn't . . . strong enough. He lost. Jonathan slumped in defeat, shaking his head.

" Just take the kid, " he groaned. " I made my mind up. Just take her. "

Her. That was the first time Jonathan ever referred to that thing with a pronoun, like it was alive. Her . . . and she was beautiful.

Doctor Beck threw Jonathan back on the bed and Jonathan winced in pain, hanging over the bed. He felt tears running from his eyes before gasping as he heard a gunshot.

" What the fuck - ? "

Another one.

He looked up and saw his mom holding up the gun. Jonathan watched as his mom opened the window and tossed the gun two stories down.

Another hoard of nurses came through the door, looking over the dead bodies of both the cryptozoologists.

" We flipped the deal and they couldn't take it, " Joyce said.

" Y - Yeah, " Doctor Gibson replied. " Threatened us with a gun and everything. "

The nurses chartered among themselves as they were overlooking the patient on the bed, his mother panting in the corner, and the doctor on the floor with a distressed baby that had a tail.

" Well, don't just stand there, " Doctor Gibson said. " Take those two to the morgue and help Mister Byers back onto the bed. "

The nurses began to drag the two dead jerks from the room, as two of them lifted Jonathan from the bed before helping him back on.

He groaned from the pain before laying back. 

Joyce turned the dial up slightly on the pain medication that dripped from the I.V before nodding.

Doctor Gibson stood from the floor, dusting off her scrub pants and readjusting the baby in her arms.

" Do you want to see your daughter, Jonathan ? " she asked.

" More than anything, " he sighed.

Jonathan held his arms out before Doctor Gibson planted the whining baby onto his chest. He looked down at her and began to rock her against his chest. She was a tiny thing, a beautiful thing. He never expected to care about her, because he wasn't ready to be a father, and to be quite honest, he doubted he would never be ready to be a dad . . . but he never felt more prepared to be a mother.

She was beautiful, and she needed him. Jonathan felt this thing that he had never felt towards absolutely anybody; unconditional love. No matter what this baby did, no matter who she became; he was going to love her and care for her until the end of his days. She was so precious, so perfect.

Her whining began to settle as she opened her eyes to look at Jonathan. Seeing his daughter, so unaffected by the trauma that just happened, so naïve towards his old hatred towards her, so full of love towards a person that couldn't stand her - it filled Jonathan with so much happiness, so much joy that he started crying, laughing.

He looked at her with a smile, listening to her little whimpers.

" Hey, hey, " he cooed. " Momma's here . . . momma's here. "

She quieted down, went silent, her eyes fluttering shut as she listened to Jonathan's soft coos.

Jonathan held her to his chest once again. He wiped his tears with his gown before laughing again. He was so ready for everything to go back to normal when he came into this room, so ready to get rif of this tiny girl in his arms, but now he realized how big of a mistake those feelings were. He was so wrong to think of that.

Sure, he hated Catastrophe and he hatef what she did, but he could thank her for one thing. She gave him this beautiful baby girl to love and cherish. Someone so ugly - so awful - gave him the most perfect thing he had in his life to date and nothing could compare to her. Nobody ever could.

And Jonathan Byers was happy . . . complete.


	11. *•.¸📷 trαgєdч 📷¸.•*

March Second, Nineteen Eighty - Eight

Hawkins, Indiana, U.S.A

Hawkins Memorial Medical Center

📷

" It's been three days, and you still don't have a name ? " Will asked.

Jonathan walked around the room, carrying the baby, wheeling his I.V around with them. The baby yawned in his arms. He had been looking over a baby name book for the past few days. He was completely unprepared for this part, and he never knew how much pressure it would be to name a baby.

For some people, it was easy to name their kids. With his mom, she had ' Jonathan ' and ' William ' picked out around a month in, and Hopper had told them that he and his ex - wife had ' Sarah ' picked out as soon as she was born, as if his late daughter had picked her own name. Steve's girlfriend already knew she wanted to name her future children ' Tiffany ' and ' Travis '. 

Why was it so hard for him to pick a name for this baby ?

It was as if no name was good enough for her. He tried everything, nothing sounded good. Anna Byers, Wendy Byers, Jasmine Byers - Nothing. He couldn't name her something like ' Miracle Byers ' or ' Perfection Byers ', while she was both of those things, those name sounded so stupid.

She would be stuck with it for the rest of her life.

" How about . . . Daisy Byers ? " Will asked.

" Are you just looking at the flowers Eleven and Hopper got me ? " Jonathan asked.

Will shrugged.

" It's better than ' No Name Byers ', " he said. " What about Princess Byers ? "

Jonathan scowled at the recommendation. That was also awful. Who would want to name their daughter ' Princess ' ? That was just a name that was made to be fun of.

" I'm assuming that Princess Byers is out of the question, " Will said.

" You think ? " Jonathan asked.

" Annie Byers ? " Will asked.

" That's a grandma name, " Jonathan said.

He looked down at her, biting the inside of his cheek. Why wasn't a name just coming to him ? This was the easiest part of having a kid. Maybe he was being too picky . . . over thinking.

" How does Sheila Byers sound ? " Will asked.

Jonathan shook his head.

" She doesn't look like a ' Sheila ', " he said.

" Does anyone really ' look ' like their name ? " Will asked.

" Yes !! " Jonathan defended. " You look like a ' Will '. "

" And you look like a dork, " Will teased. " But for some reason, mom named you ' Jonathan '. "

Jonathan shook his head.

" Hah - hah, " he said. " You're hilarious. "

Jonathan continued to pace around the hospital room, staring at his daughter's precious little face. He just needed a name.

" Molly !! " Will exclaimed.

" That sounds like a dog name, " Jonathan said.

" I know a girl named ' Molly ', " Will said. " She has these huge glasses. "

" Well let's try not to think of ' Coke Bottle Molly ', " Jonathan said.

" Tina ? " Will asked.

" Is that a girl in your class too ? " Jonathan asked.

" You're not giving me a lot of leverage, " Will said. " I've never had to name a person or even an animal a day in my life, I'm doing my best here. "

" Guadalupe ? " Will recommended. " Winona ? "

" Winona's pretty, " Jonathan agreed. " But . . . it's not her. "

" Theodora ? " Will asked. " Teddy for short ? "

" That sounds like a boy name, " Jonathan complained.

" I've come up with more names in five minutes than you have in nine months !! " Will argued.

" But so far you've only recommended one good name !! " Jonathan retorted.

" Raven ? Jillian ? " Will offered. " Sabrina ? Yolanda ? "

" Who names their kid ' Yolanda ' anymore ? " Jonathan asked.

" Someone that wants to name their kid !! " Will exclaimed.

" I do want to name her !! " Jonathan defended. " I just need to think of one that's perfect for her !! "

" Anything's better than nothing !! " Will stated.

" I can't just name her ' Baby Byers ' !! " Jonathan exclaimed.

" Jesus Christ, Jonathan, " Will groaned. " You're so picky. "

" What if mom named you ' Robert ' or ' Walter ' ? " Jonathan asked.

" It's better than not having a name at all !! " Will stated.

He got him there. A weird name was better than none at all . . . but he couldn't give her a name that he'd regret. He'd never forgive himself for giving her a bad name.

" Sonya Byers ? " Will asked. " Lilly Byers ? "

" Maybe a flower for her middle name ? " Jonathan asked.

" Good, we're getting somewhere, " Will said. " Blank Daisy Byers ? "

" Stop looking at the vase, " Jonathan said. " Blank Petunia Byers ? "

" I think I like Blank Lily Byers, " Will said. " Rolls off the tongue. "

" You already said ' Lilly Byers ', " Jonathan argued. " Pick something else. "

" Blank Sunflower Byers ? " Will asked.

" That's the worst one yet, " Jonathan said. " Give me a good one. "

" Blank Carnation Byers ? " Will asked.

" Nope, that's the worst one, " Jonathan groaned. " How does Blank Rose Byers sound ? "

" That's a little different, " Will agreed. " I've seen enough girls with the middle name ' Ann ' that I could puke. "

" Okay, this is good, " Jonathan said. " Vivian Rose Byers ? "

" That's a bitchy name, " Will said. " Donna Rose Byers ? "

" Donna ? " Jonathan asked. " Seriously ? "

" It's better than ' Vivian ', " Will said. " Ashley Rose Byers ? "

" That sounds like a cheap hooker name. " Jonathan disagreed. " Hannah Rose Byers ? "

Will shook his head.

" Yeah, that doesn't sound right, " Jonathan agreed. " Angela Rose Byers ? "

" I don't really like the name ' Angela ', " Will said. " It's weird . . . Evangeline Rose Byers ? "

Jonathan shook his head.

" Too long. "

Jonathan lowered himself onto the bed and held his daughter in front of him. He licked his upper lip, as she squirmed into another comfortable position.

" C'mon baby, " he urged. " What's your name ? "

The door opened and Doctor Gibson entered with a folder and a pen.

" Do you have a name befoe you leave, Jonathan ? " she asked.

Suddenly it hit him, the perfect name.

" Yes, " he said. " I do. "

Will sighed in relief, before throwing himself back in the hospital chair.

" Thank god, " he groaned. " I was going to tear my hair out if I had to listen to you whine about names one more time. "

Jonathan adjusted the baby in his arms before leaning forward and writing her name on the paper.

Doctor Gibson looked at the paper and smiled. She nodded at Jonathan before closing the folder.

" What a pretty name for a pretty girl, " she complimented. " She's going to love it. "

" What did you name her ? " Will asked.

Jonathan smiled and stared at his sweet little baby that slept so peacefully in his arms.

" Zoë Rose Byers. "

" It took you three days to think of a three letter name ? " Will asked.

" But it's perfect for her. "


End file.
